1/ Re: the House passed tax deal - for families with the lowest incomes, the expanded Child Tax Credit provides more meaningful support to help pay rent than the provisions to expand the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. Here’s why: 2/ Nearly half of all families with incomes less than $35k have reported using the Child Tax Credit to help cover housing costs. For every $100 of imputed CTC payment, families with incomes less than $50,000 spent $33 on rent.

❗️ The White House just announced a set of administrative actions and a Blueprint to advance a Renters Bill of Rights. (🧵) Strengthening/enforcing renter protections is vitally important to addressing the broader housing crisis. There’s a tremendous power imbalance in housing system that tilts heavily in favor of landlords at expense of low-income & other marginalized renters.

🧵Voters turned out to support affordable housing yesterday! @NLIHC is tracking nearly 100 affordable housing ballot measures advanced by our state and local partners - here’s what we know so far: New affordable housing bond measures were passed in Flagstaff, AZ; Oakland, CA; Palm Beach County, FL; Baltimore, MD; Kansas City, MO; Charlotte, NC; Buncombe County, NC; Columbus, OH; and Austin, TX  - many of them won by significant margins!

❗️The recent exorbitant rent hikes can’t be justified & shouldn’t be allowed. The Biden administration should take immediate action to stop rent gouging, and there’s both clear need and precedent for action. 🧵washingtonpost.com/business/2022/… Skyrocketing rents harm tenants with lowest incomes, & are increasing homelessness.

“Shelter officials in 15 states all reported a dramatic increase in # of people seeking services w/some waitlists growing 2-3x in matter of months.”
washingtonpost.com/business/2022/…

🚨House @COVIDOversight Cmte just released report documenting egregious & illegal behavior by corporate landlords during CDC eviction moratorium. Fed gov’t must hold these landlords accountable, as @NLIHC urged thruout the pandemic🧵coronavirus.house.gov/news/press-rel… The congressional investigation found that corporate landlords aggressively evicted tenants despite CDC eviction moratorium
– @PretiumPress @InvitationHomes @VentronMgmt & @SiegalGroup
wrongfully filed at least 15k evictions, 3x what was previously reported.

Today, President Biden announces a Housing Supply Action Plan to help close the housing supply gap in 5 years.

🧵1/9 The administration’s commitment to using federal transportation funds to reduce restrictive local zoning laws, which inhibit construction of apartments and are often deeply rooted in racial exclusion, is especially promising.

The Biden admin is taking the severe shortage of affordable housing seriously. Tomorrow they’ll announce plans for immediate admin actions to address crisis (together w/calling on Congress to enact #BBB’s transformative housing $). Details tomorrow.

https://twitter.com/briandeesenec/status/1525862008054325249

As rents rise, homelessness increases, public housing deteriorates, and millions of families struggle to keep a roof over their heads, robust federal actions and investments are badly needed and long overdue.

I’m testifying tomorrow, on behalf of @NLIHC, at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on reforms to expedite the delivery of emergency rental assistance. My written testimony is here: financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/…

Some takeaways (thread): The urgency of getting emergency rental assistance to tenants and landlords *cannot* be overstated - but many communities are spending their allocations much too slowly.

Only $7.5 billion of the first $25 billion of ERA has been spent or obligated.

🚨The HFS Committee just released bill to invest $330B+ in affordable housing as part of $3.5T reconciliation bill. It includes major investments in our top priorities:

- $90B rental assistance!
- $80B public housing!
- $37B national Housing Trust Fund! Committee will vote on the bill on Monday. This is an extraordinary milestone – but we have further to go to achieve these long overdue and much needed investments!

This is, unfortunately, the 3rd time that Senator Wyden is introducing a bill to create a Middle Income Housing Tax Credit (MIHTC) and, for the 3rd time, we oppose the provision. finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/… There’s a lot to like in the larger bill - expanded rental assistance, a new project based renters tax credit, and more. But a MIHTC remains a wasteful and misguided proposal.

🚨BREAKING: President Biden will extend federal eviction moratorium for 30 days & activate whole of government approach on eviction prevention/diversion, as we urged. Now we must redouble efforts to get ERA to tenants who need it to stay stably housed.

https://twitter.com/dianeyentel/status/1404791090750832643

In addition to extending the moratorium, the White House will implement many of our recommendations including

1) New guidance from Treasury for ERA program to accelerate and broaden state and local delivery of funds.

NLIHC & our Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition of 850+ orgs are urging the Biden admin to extend the CDC eviction moratorium and use a whole of government approach to get emergency rental assistance out more efficiently & effectively. bit.ly/3iEUWkE While vaccinations rates are up & COVID-19 caseloads down in many areas, communities w/ lower vaccination rates & higher COVID-19 cases are the same as those with renters at heightened risk of eviction when the moratorium expires. evictionlab.org/filing-and-vac…

🚨Treasury and the White House release 2nd allocation of Emergency Rental Assistance and publish important new guidance with major improvements to help ensure the $ reaches the lowest income & most marginalized people in need. 🚨 (thread) In March, @NLIHC wrote to @SecYellen @SecFudge @AmbassadorRice @genebsperling to share emerging & troubling trends with ERA programs & urged quick improvements to ensure the $ reaches the lowest income people in need. They listened and quickly acted.

.@nardotrealtor continues push to evict during pandemic, just as $46B in rental assistance starts reaching renters & landlords. Infuriating. 1/ thehill.com/regulation/cou… Several district courts have attempted to strike down moratorium, but all had limited application. There are now numerous conflicting court rulings at the district court level, with several judges ruling in favor of the moratorium and several ruling against.

🚨Tonight, a federal district court judge in TX ruled the CDC eviction moratorium unconstitutional.

Renters, don’t panic: THE MORATORIUM IS STILL IN EFFECT. The judge did NOT issue an injunction.

But he may in near future. The CDC must appeal immediately. While this ruling could put millions of struggling renters at risk of losing their homes during the pandemic, it’s important to know that two other federal district courts have previously UPHELD the eviction moratorium.

Just got a call from @RepMarciaFudge. She reached out to introduce herself and share her commitment to working with NLIHC and other key stakeholders if she is confirmed as HUD Secretary. 1/ We discussed the essential work she has ahead as HUD Secretary - from meeting the urgent need for housing stability of renters and people experiencing homelessness, to reinvigorating the morale and purpose of HUD...

Here’s more info on the emergency rental assistance included in Covid relief package. (thread)

$25 billion for emergency rental assistance would be funded through the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) and administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Of $25B total, $400 million would be allocated to U.S. territories and $800 million to tribal communities. The remaining funds would be distributed to states and cities with populations of 200,000 or more. Each state would receive a minimum of $200 million.

Today Congress votes on bill with immediate & essential relief for millions of struggling renters, preventing tens of millions from losing their homes next month. The bill extends the eviction moratorium through 1/31 & provides $25B in rental assistance. 1/ While extending the CDC eviction moratorium for just 1 month is clearly insufficient to keep people housed for duration of pandemic, the extension provides essential & immediate protection for millions of renters on the verge of losing their homes in weeks.

🚨🚨WE HAVE A DEAL! 🚨🚨

It includes:

✅ CDC eviction moratorium extended through Jan 31!

✅ $25 BILLION in emergency rental assistance!

✅ Extended deadline for spending CRF rental assistance $!

❗️THANK U FOR YOUR ADVOCACY❗️

Let’s get it enacted ASAP! This achievement was made possible by the extraordinary advocacy of @NLIHC partners & allies throughout the country, and by the tremendous leadership & tenacity of congressional champions @MaxineWaters @SenSherrodBrown @SenSchumer @SpeakerPelosi! THANK YOU!

🚨The CDC and HHS are establishing a broad moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent through end of the year. 🚨

The moratorium applies to all tenants who meet certain eligibility requirements and present a signed declaration to their LLs. 1/ To be eligible, renters must:

- have individual income less than $99,000 OR did not have to pay income tax in 2019 OR received a stimulus check;

- be unable to pay rent due to income loss or extraordinary out-of-pocket medical expenses

2/

This op-ed from Donald Trump and @SecretaryCarson is exceedingly dishonest, filled with factual errors, distortions and lies. It is blatant and cynical fear-mongering, a cheap and harmful political ploy for votes.

https://twitter.com/secretarycarson/status/1295146334878683136

.@SecretaryCarson says that building affordable apartments near single family homes is a “dystopian vision.” This is an abhorrent view from a HUD Secretary. With such disdain for HUD’s mission & the people HUD serves, he has no business “leading” the agency.