House Committee on Financial Services Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA) is circulating an FY24 appropriations letter to her House colleagues. The letter requests investments in Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rental assistance programs and is addressed to House Committee on Appropriations leadership. Affordable senior housing advocates and stakeholders are urged to ask their U.S. Representatives to join the letter by March 27.

“Older adults with such severe housing cost burdens spend significantly less on basic necessities like health care and food than their peers without housing cost burdens and may even be pushed into homelessness. In fact, according to LeadingAge, between 2007 and 2017, the rate of homelessness among individuals 62 and older nearly doubled from 4.1% to 8%,” the letter says.

The letter urges full renewal funding for Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance and Section 202 Project Rental Assistance Contracts, as well as an additional $1 billion for new capital advances and operating assistance, including service coordinators, to create and support new Section 202 homes.

House offices have until the end of March 27 to join the letter by emailing Grace Jones with Ranking Member Waters at Grace.Jones@mail.house.gov.