Thursday, August 11, 2016

MONTANA RANKS 37TH NATIONWIDE WITH RENTERS PAYING MORE THAN 50% OF TOTAL INCOME FOR RENT!!!

Send an email

Our future supporters are in your inbox.
Cut and paste the sample email below to send to your colleagues, friends and family.

Subject: Let’s Make Room
Hi [friends and colleagues],
I want you to know about the Make Room campaign, which is working to put the 11 million American families whose rent consumes more than half their incomes on the national agenda. Make Room is sharing real people’s stories and promoting solutions —all to urge our nation’s leaders to act. As part of the Concerts for the 1st series, top musical artists are lending their voices with performances in the living rooms of affected families. I’m excited to  be part of the beginning of this new effort and I hope you’ll join me today.
I would personally appreciate it if you could do these easy things to help us spread the word about Make Room and the families we’re aiming to help:
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@MakeRoomUSA)
Sign up your email on the website to stay informed and hear about new ways to act. (Expect about 1-2 email updates a month and your email address won’t be shared).
- Forward this email to others and help spread the word about the campaign. One in 4 families who rent are affected by the rental crisis. It will take all of us to get our country’s leaders to pay more attention to the needs of struggling families.
Thank you for all you can do to help Make Room for everyone trying to make ends meet.


Send a Letter to the Editor

When the news media reports on rental housing in your area, you can use this template to quickly respond and bring attention to senior renters.

To the editor:
For low-income people in [CITY/STATE], getting a job is only half the battle.(“[ARTICLE TITLE]”)
 The twin challenges of rapidly rising housing costs and stagnant wages mean even working families struggle to make ends meet, threatening household stability and our economy as a whole.
Experts generally advise renters to avoid paying more than 30 percent of their pretax income on housing costs, including rent and utilities. But rising rents and weak wage growth mean that’s increasingly difficult: A growing percentage of workers are paying more than the recommended 30 percent of income just to keep a roof over their heads – and in some cases far more.
A new report by Make Room, a national campaign to give renters a voice, found that in 2014, 20 million working adults paid more than 30 percent of their income on rent.
That’s a 22 percent increase from 2005, even as the number of workers overall grew by just two percent during the same time period.
It’s almost impossible to provide a steady life for your family when your rent keeps going up and your paychecks aren’t getting any bigger.
The Make Room analysis highlights the need to focus on the how to improve the lives of low-income families, an issue that deserves far more attention from our elected officials. We desperately need a bipartisan approach to ending the rental housing crisis and helping communities across America thrive.
Our policymakers should be working on serious, workable plans to increase the supply of affordable homes, direct scarce public resources to where they are needed most and ensure lower-income workers earn fair wages that are enough to live on.
Housing and wages are inextricably linked: Housing is typically a family’s largest monthly expense, and our local economy simply cannot thrive when a growing number of households have little buying power because they barely earn enough to keep a roof overhead.
To break this cycle, we must tackle these issues at the same time – lifting up the lowest-income workers and strengthening our economy in the process.

[Name][Organization][Local Address/Contact Information]

Friday, June 8, 2012

CUTS TO HOUSING AND SOCIAL SERVICES

Join your fellow advocates now in opposing cuts to nondefense discretionary (NDD) programs—including housing and social services programs—that are slated to take place in January 2013. 
Every local, state and national organization that cares about funding core government functions is urged to sign onto a letter to urge Congress to avoid the planned “sequester” by instead passing a balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include additional cuts to these programs. 
Next January, NDD programs face indiscriminate, across-the-board cuts of 8.4% through the sequester. The cuts will devastate housing and social services programs; medical and scientific research; education and job training; infrastructure; public safety and law enforcement; public health; weather monitoring and environmental protection; and international relations.
NLIHC has joined with dozens of other national organizations, representing issues across the NDD spectrum, to protect these programs from additional cuts. This sign on letter is a part of our joint effort.
View the letter here.
Sign the letter here. Sign by COB June 22, 2012.
Thank you for your participation!

Background Q&A
What is “NDD?
Discretionary programs differ from “entitlement” programs that are funded rather automatically to meet the needs of all who qualify for them. Discretionary programs are those that Congress funds annually through the appropriations process. Congress retains complete discretion, or choice, on whether, and at what level, to fund discretionary programs.
Nondefense discretionary, or “NDD” programs, are core functions provided for the benefit of all, including housing and social services; medical and scientific research; education and job training; infrastructure; public safety and law enforcement; public health; weather monitoring and environmental protection; natural and cultural resources; and international relations. Every day, these programs support economic growth and strengthen the safety and security of every American in every state and community across the nation.


What is the sequester?

The Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25) established caps on discretionary spending over 10 years, resulting in $1 trillion in cuts spread across defense and NDD programs. The law also directed a congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to identify an additional $1.2 trillion in budgetary savings over ten years. The failure of the bi-partisan “Super Committee” to come to an agreement on a deficit reduction plan triggered a sequester to take effect on January 2, 2013.
To “sequester” means to set apart or to take something away until a debt has been repaid. In the context of funding federal programs, sequester means imminent, across-the-board cuts to most programs, both defense and nondefense—in addition to the $1 trillion in cuts already sustained through the Budget Control Act’s discretionary caps.
A few discretionary programs are exempt from the sequester in the first year, such as Pell grants in the Department of Education. Some mandatory programs (e.g., Medicaid) are also exempt.

Is there really any chance Congress will change its mind about the sequester?

Yes! There already is a vocal constituency clamoring to exempt defense programs from the sequester’s reach. Of course, removing only defense programs from the sequester would place additional burden on NDD programs. Leaders of national coalitions and networks that joined together in crafting this letter believe it is critical for Congress to reverse course and work to achieve deficit reduction with a balanced approach that does not include further cuts to NDD programs.

What can my organization do?

Your organization can sign onto this letter, urging Congress to “find a balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include further cuts to NDD programs.”
Your organization can also help by sharing this letter with your networks and state/local chapters. All national, state and local organizations are encouraged to sign. The more sign-ons, the bigger our impact!

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Monday, April 23, 2012

HOW HUD CALCULATES RENTS


Resident Training Academy: 2012 Curriculum

All sessions are set for 6:00 PM ET (5:00 PM CT, 4:00 PM MT and 3:00 PM PT)

Session 1: An Overview of HUD’s Key Rental Housing Programs
(Tues-Thurs, April 10 and April 12)

Learn about the Public Housing, Project-based Section 8, the Housing Choice Voucher Programs and HUD’s new Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program. Material will focus on the similarities and differences among the programs and new developments within each.

Session 2: Know Your Participation and Organizing Rights
(Tues-Thurs, May 8 and May 10)

Rights of residents under Section 964 (Tenant Participation and Tenant Opportunities in Public Housing), Section 245 (Tenant Participation in Multifamily Housing Projects) rules, and Resident Advisory Boards (RABs). Learn about your rights and also how organizers and residents may use the RAB process as a platform for organizing voucher-assisted residents.

Session 3: Rent-Setting Policies
(Tues- Thurs, May 29 and May 31)

How does HUD arrive at your rent calculation?  Important definitions of income and reporting requirements.

Session 4: Reasonable Accommodation
(Tues- Thurs, June 19 and Jun 21)

Forty-one percent of the families who live in HUD-assisted rental housing have a head of household or spouse with disabilities.  Learn about the laws related to reasonable accommodation and how residents with disabilities may use their rights to reasonable accommodation to obtain and remain in HUD-assisted rental housing.

Session 5: Enforcement Tools for Residents
(Tues- Thurs, July 10 and July 12)

Enforcement of existing housing rights is key to residents’ ability to solve problems and self-advocate.  This session will highlight the available tools and how residents can use them.

Please answer the following questions to help NHLP understand our Resident Training Academy audience and learn how we can best serve your needs.

YOU'LL BE PROVIDED WITH SIGN ON INFORMATION FOR YOUR SESSIONS ONCE YOU SUBMIT YOUR REGISTRATION.


Register for Our Webinar

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reserve your Webinar seat.

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This Webinar is held on the following dates:
May 8, 2012 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT
May 10, 2012 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT
May 29, 2012 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT
May 31, 2012 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT
Jun 19, 2012 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT
Jun 21, 2012 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT
Jul 10, 2012 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT
Jul 12, 2012 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT
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Are you a community organizer or member of a local community advocacy organization? If no, pls skip. If yes, what organization?


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National Housing Law Project Resident Training Academy

We hope that the resources and materials offered on this website will provide valuable help to our website visitors and we also invite you to join us and support NHLP in our efforts.


Residents, Community Organizers, Tenant Advocates!

JOIN NHLP'S RESIDENT TRAINING ACADEMY

Beginning on April 10, the National Housing Law Project's (NHLP's) Resident Training Academy will present five (5) two-part web-based trainings on the basics of the HUD's rental housing programs and key issues that define residents' rights.

You Don't Have to Travel! Join Us on the Web to Learn About HUD-Assisted Rental Housing Programs:

How They're Alike, How They're Different
Participation and Organizing Rights
Rent-Setting Policies
Reasonable Accommodation Rights
Tools Residents Can Use to Enforce Their Rights


Special Guest Presentations by
National People's Action - Housing Justice Movement Campaign and
The National Alliance of HUD Tenants

FIND OUT MORE HERE
and
REGISTER NOW!



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Recent News

Part of the California Attorney General’s Homeowner Bill of Rights, the bills would provide tenants with key protections after foreclosure.
After more than two years of advocacy by NHLP, HUD has provided additional guidance on tenant protections in foreclosed FHA Properties.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has published regulations to prevent discrimination in its programs on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Several key housing protections for survivors of domestic and sexual violence were recently passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (S. 1925).
NATIONAL HOUSING LAW PROJECT
Main Office • 703 Market Street, Suite 2000, San Francisco CA 94103 • (415) 546-7000 • (415) 546-7007 (f) • nhlp@nhlp.org
© National Housing Law Project 1996-2009

Sunday, February 12, 2012

JUST YET ANOTHER UNTOLD HUD STORY


U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
FISCAL YEAR 2012 PROGRAM AND BUDGET INITIATIVES
RENTAL ASSISTANCE DEMONSTRATION
1
In Fiscal Year 2012, HUD is requesting $200 million to cover the incremental cost of converting public housing,
Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation, Rent Supplement, and Rental Assistance programs to long-term project-based
Section 8 contracts under a demonstration of HUD’s proposed Transforming Rental Assistance (TRA)
initiative.
Over the last 75 years, the Federal Government has invested billions in the development and maintenance of public
and multifamily housing.  To protect the considerable Federal investment and respond to the growing demand for
affordable rental housing, we must continue to make standard life-cycle improvements to this inventory,
modernize or replace obsolete units, and stem the loss of stock from private sector partners choosing to opt-out of
affordable housing programs.
Particularly for public housing, this trend shows no sign of slowing, as the stock decreases by between .5 percent
and 1.0 percent each year.  Additionally, HUD estimates that the public housing inventory faces a capital needs
backlog ranging from $20 to $30 billion.  Given this large backlog and
fiscal constraints, the Department must find alternative means, other than
direct capital grants, to meet these needs.  At the same time, the structure
of the affordability covenants associated with the public housing program
impedes private investment in the stock.  This $200 million is estimated to
allow for the conversion of approximately 255,000 public housing units,
in addition to the Rent Supplement,  Rental Assistance Program and
Moderate Rehabilitation units.  The portion of these funds used for Public
Housing conversions alone will enable PHAs to leverage over $6 billion in
private debt and equity capital, creating more than 60,000 direct jobs.   HUD estimates that full conversion of
the entire public housing stock (with additional funding in future years), would allow PHAs to raise nearly $28
billion in capital in order to address the large existing backlog of capital needs and create an estimated
270,000 direct jobs.  Beyond the public housing stock, the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation (25,000 units), Rent
Supplement (9,500 units), and Rental Assistance programs (11,300 units) either offer no option to renew and
risk being lost from the affordable housing stock or cannot renew on terms that attract sufficient capital to
preserve long-term affordability
CONVERSION OF PROPERTIES
HUD is committed to utilizing its operating and capital funds in the most effective ways possible.  At the same time
though, the Department continues to face challenges in maintaining an aging public housing stock, of which half the
units were constructed prior to 1970.  These older units require continued investment to remain viable, with an
increasing backlog of modernization needs estimated at $20-30 billion, and an estimated 15.5 percent of units not
meeting HUD’s physical standards.  It is incumbent upon the Department to find alternative, sustainable means,
other than direct capital grants, to meet these needs  – particularly because public housing serves tremendously
vulnerable families who have few options in the event that their housing is lost.  Because of these realities, $200
million for the Transforming Rental Assistance (TRA) initiative demonstration is designed to preserve
public and assisted housing by increasing access to private capital and management techniques.
Specifically, this TRA funding request will be used for the incremental cost of converting public housing, Section 8
Moderate Rehabilitation, Rent Supplement, and Rental Assistance programs to an improved form of long-term,
project-based Section 8 contracts. These funds are estimated to allow for the  conversion of approximately

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