FEINGOLD URGES SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST FUND
Investment in Affordable Housing Helps Build Stronger Communities for all Americans
U.S. Senator Russ Feingold urged support today for a national affordable housing trust fund to help families facing severe housing cost burdens in Wisconsin and throughout the country. In a letter to the Senate Banking Committee, Feingold urged the Committee to take up and support the bipartisan National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 introduced by Senator John Kerry (D-MA). A national affordable housing trust fund would provide sources of funding to build, rehabilitate, and preserve millions of housing units for the lowest income families across America.
"A real investment in safe, affordable housing can serve as the foundation for improving the lives and communities of hundreds of thousands of Americans," Feingold said. "This issue is about more than making sure Wisconsinites have a roof over their head. Good housing can help lead to better jobs, better educational outcomes, and better futures for all Americans."
Last year, Feingold introduced legislation, the Affordable Housing Expansion and Public Safety Act, to boost availability of affordable housing for Americans. Feingold's bill would urge Congress to create a national affordable housing trust fund, similar to the national affordable housing trust fund that would be created by Senator Kerry's bill and the trust fund that was recently created in the city of Milwaukee. Feingold's bill also would authorize 100,000 new Section 8 vouchers to help low income families afford rental payments, as well as expand the HOME Investments Partnerships Program to provide new funding for the production and rehabilitation of affordable housing. Additionally, Feingold's bill would reauthorize a grant program to help combat violent and drug-related crime in public housing.
"I continue to hear from housing advocates in Wisconsin about the important role a national housing trust fund can play in supporting ongoing affordable housing efforts at the state and local level," Feingold wrote. "Affordable housing is becoming less, not more, available in the United States and addressing the rising demand for affordable housing is one of the most critical issues we face as a nation."