Enterprise: Community Developments: HOME Sign-On Letter, HUD Awards $35 Million to Promote Self-Sufficiency

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• The HOME Coalition is circulating a sign-on letter urging lawmakers to increase funding for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) to $1.2 billion in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill. Congress is currently writing and negotiating the fiscal year (FY) 2018 Appropriations bills following the passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which raised the caps for discretionary spending, and lawmakers have an opportunity to address the urgent need for housing resources for low-income families and communities. Earlier in this appropriations cycle, over 1,500 organizations signed on the HOME Coalition's letter supporting funding for the HOME Program in the FY 2018 Appropriations bill. If your organization has not already signed the letter, sign it onto the letter by COB (5PM ET) Thursday, February 22.
  
• Today HUD awarded $35 million to promote self-sufficiency for public housing residents. Provided through HUD's Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency - Service Coordinators Program (ROSS-SC), these funds will enable public housing authorities, public housing resident associations, Native American tribes and non-profit organizations to hire or retain service coordinators who work directly with residents to help them find jobs and educational opportunities that promote economic and housing independence. HUD Secretary Ben Carson notes that “it's part of our mission to help connect public housing residents to better, higher paying jobs and critical services as a means of helping them move beyond public assistance and toward self-sufficiency.” (HUD, February 20)
  
• Understanding that housing is intrinsically linked to many other social outcomes, nine of the nation's largest private foundations have joined forces to create the Funders for Housing and Opportunity (FHO), a philanthropic collaborative that aims to help millions of households who spend more than half of their income on rent - or lack stable housing - afford safe, stable rentals in thriving communities. FHO's investments are targeted to spark large-scale change in three complementary priorities: supporting policy change at the local, state, and federal levels; raising awareness about the fact that housing is a public concern and how access to housing connects residents and communities to opportunity; and securing funding for evidence-based initiatives that expand cross-sector solutions. The collaborative has provided nearly $5 million to four grantees over the next three years, and Enterprise is pleased to have been selected as an FHO grantee, specifically focusing on raising awareness and bringing together advocates from other sectors to highlight the importance of affordable housing. Learn more about the collaborative in an Enterprise blog post.