On March 19, LeadingAge requested urgent action by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to release funding and retain the workforce needed for federal affordable senior housing programs.

In two letters to the agency, LeadingAge describes the harm of uncertainty regarding HUD funding and delays for programs Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly, Multifamily Service Coordination grants, and the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP). The letters also describe the need for robust staffing to effectively administer key HUD housing programs that LeadingAge provider members rely on.

“Without swift HUD action to distribute…awards to properties, tens of thousands of older adults could be negatively impacted,” says LeadingAge CEO Katie Smith Sloan to both HUD Secretary Scott Turner and bipartisan Congressional leaders in this March 19 letter.

Due to the affordable housing crisis, political leaders from both sides of the aisle, including President Trump, have vowed to address housing cost and supply issues. Currently, federal housing programs are only able to serve about a third of older adults who qualify for housing assistance; LeadingAge is therefore calling on HUD to disperse awarded funds for the Section 202 program, the GRRP preservation program, and the Service Coordination program without delay.

New Affordable Senior Housing Construction and Retrofit Funding
Staffing uncertainties and delays in disseminating funding have impacted HUD’s highly successful and efficient affordable housing programs–including, we emphasize, the current stalling on disbursement of more than $1 billion dollars in retrofit funding awarded to preserve HUD-assisted properties in climate-vulnerable areas.

In addition to the harmful consequences of the stalled retrofit funding, the letter also calls out the need for HUD to continue administering–without delay–the Section 202 capital advances awarded in January to build more than 700 new affordable, service-enriched homes for older adults.

Many of LeadingAge’s nonprofit and mission-driven members are in limbo because of the uncertainty and delay, in particular with the retrofit funding awards, for which HUD cancelled key administration contracts in February. The letter provides examples of LeadingAge member impacts, including critical home repairs in Baltimore and rural Virginia, new homes for disaster-impacted North Carolina, and job creation across the country.

Service Coordination Grants
In the second letter, LeadingAge and AASC, the American Association of Service Coordinators, jointly called on HUD to quickly administer the hundreds of new and extension grants for Service Coordinators that assist HUD-assisted older adults to age independently.

“Service Coordinators are the heartbeat of affordable housing for older adults and individuals with disabilities. Providers in rural, suburban, and urban areas across the country rely on these grants to employ Service Coordinators who efficiently connect residents to services and resources that help them age in their communities and avoid much costlier Medicaid-funded nursing homes,” says LeadingAge CEO Smith Sloan.

“Housing providers rely on these grants to employ Service Coordinators who connect older adult residents to vital resources and services that keep them healthy, happy and housed in their communities,” AASC President and CEO Michelle Missler said. “It is imperative that HUD move quickly to release these funds.”

HUD’s Critical Workforce
Lastly, both letters call out the effects of planned and uncertain HUD workforce reductions on the effectiveness of federal affordable housing programs.

Disbursing funds quickly and efficiency is heavily reliant on HUD Headquarter staff in the Office of Multifamily Housing, as well as staff assigned to five HUD regional offices.

“With large grant portfolios that extend beyond the Service Coordinator program, [grant] specialists are integral in the funding process and ensuring award compliance,” reads the AASC/LeadingAge letter, referring to Service Coordinator grants.

However, some grant specialists and other HUD staff that filled vacancies in the past year and were working on a probationary status were terminated in February and have an uncertain path ahead. Others are concerned about job losses due to potential HUD field office closures and workforce reductions.

Similarly, for the GRRP preservation program and the Section 202 capital advances, the letter states: “We ask that HUD not only retain existing staff, but also permanently reverse the terminations of probationary and field staff, as well as hire for open positions to disburse funds more efficiently to HUD grantees and partners.”

LeadingAge will continue our advocacy to advance effective and efficient affordable housing programs for older adults across the country.