June 14, 2023 Washington, DC — Statement from Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO, LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, on House of Representatives appropriations committee actions to limit spending: 

“House Committee on Appropriations Chair Kay Granger’s announced intention to limit overall spending to the Fiscal Year 2022 topline level will drastically reduce funding for the House’s Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) appropriations bill – a move that will be devastating for older adults, especially those waiting for a home in affordable housing. The debt ceiling deal’s two years of spending caps were already terrible for the older adults, but this new, even more outrageous step would be catastrophic.

“The well-documented, dramatic rise in homelessness among older adults will only increase if policymakers neglect affordable housing funding. HUD programs for older adults are on track to be gutted. Appropriations at FY22 levels could:

• Rob approximately 87,000 very low income older adults of needed Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance
• Rescind Housing Choice Vouchers from 350,000 older Americans.
• Cut all new Section 202 housing builds and Service Coordinator grants that hold the promise of safe and affordable homes for older adults. 

“It’s unconscionable in the United States for our leaders to abandon the most vulnerable older adults by stripping funding for life-saving housing programs. Even now, only a small portion of demand is met. If reasonable lawmakers don’t intervene, millions of low-income older adults in affordable housing communities around the country will suffer needlessly. Asked earlier in the year what funding at FY22 levels would mean for HUD programs, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge said it would be ‘impossible to stave off mass evictions.’

“The Committee is expected to move forward with subcommittee votes over the coming weeks. We call on Congress to protect and expand senior housing for older adults:

• Provide full renewal funding for Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance, Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Project Rental Assistance Contracts, and Service Coordinator grants.
• Expand the supply of new Section 202 homes.
• Expand the number of Service Coordinators in HUD-assisted senior housing communities.
• Provide needed funding to preserve Section 202 PRACs going through Rental Assistance Demonstration conversion.

LeadingAge is encouraging anyone who cares about older adults to contact their representatives today.”