Velázquez Leads Charge for Housing Funding

Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) led Democratic Member of the New York City Congressional delegation in calling for additional funds for the nation's Public Housing Authorities. In a letter to Congressional appropriators, Velázquez and her colleagues asked that $5 billion be provided for the Public Housing Capital Fund, with $600 million of those resources to be targeted toward capital repairs related to mold, deteriorating lead-based paint and other hazards.

"Access to livable, affordable housing is a fundamental right and for far too long this priority has been underfunded," Velázquez noted. "With reports of lead-based paint and mold at NYCHA units, it is vital there be adequate federal funding allocated to ensure residents' units are free of unsafe hazards."

The lawmakers' letter also calls for fully funding the Public Housing Operating Fund based on the housing agencies' needs.

The full text of the letter is below and a .pdf is online here.

March 19, 2018

The Honorable Mario Diaz-Balart

Chairman

Subcommittee on Transportation,

Housing and Urban Development,

and Related Agencies

Committee on Appropriations

United States Congress

440 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable David Price

Ranking Member

Subcommittee on Transportation,

Housing and Urban Development,

and Related Agencies

Committee on Appropriations

United States Congress

2108 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chair Diaz-Balart and Ranking Member Price:

As the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (T-HUD) begins its important work on Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 funding, we urge you to restore funding for the Public Housing Capital and Operating Funds. We cannot wait any longer to preserve the nation's most at-risk public housing and improve the health and safety of tens of thousands of residents. Federal funding created public housing and is critical to maintaining it in a decent and safe condition for our nation's most vulnerable families with children, elderly, and people with disabilities. This investment requires a robust FY 2019 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development and Related Agencies (T-HUD) 302(b) subcommittee allocation and we urge the Appropriation Committee to increase the allocation.

We urge you to halt the deterioration of public housing infrastructure by providing at least $5 billion to the Public Housing Capital Fund. At least $600 million of the increased funding should be strategically targeted to capital repairs related to mold, deteriorating lead-based paint, and other hazards that would improve the health of public housing residents. For example, the root cause of mold infestations in public housing includes leaky roofs, crumbling exterior bricks, and old piping. Addressing these issues could improve the health and quality of life for tens of thousands of children, the elderly, and disabled residents. Additionally, collaboration between Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Health and Human Services would allow agencies to measure the health impacts and federal cost savings from such a capital investment.

We also urge you to fund the Public Housing Operating Fund at 100 percent proration in order to address the estimated annual operating costs. Funding public housing agencies at 100 percent of the funding needed according to formula would allow PHAs to respond more quickly and efficiently to health and safety-related maintenance issues.

Without these investments to fill critical funding gaps, public housing authorities across the country are at risk of losing valuable housing units at a faster rate than our current annual loss of 10,000 units per year, and add exponentially to the 200,000 units that have been lost since 2010.

After years of underfunding public housing we are at a cross-road; we can invest and preserve our nation's valuable public housing or we can choose to lose public housing units due to underfunding, decay, and neglect. We urge you to increase funding to preserve public housing.

Sincerely,

Nydia M. Velázquez
Gregory W. Meeks
Carolyn B. Maloney
Eliot L. Engel
Yvette D. Clarke
Adriano Espaillat
Jerrold Nadler
Joseph Crowley
Hakeem Jeffries
José E. Serrano
Grace Meng

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