What the federal budget deal means for affordable housing

February 15, 2019                          By: Jeff Andrews

Rental-assistance programs and public housing see increased funding

Months of political gamesmanship over the federal government’s budget came to an end Friday when President Trump signed a bipartisan compromise that will keep the government open through the rest of the year.

The issue at the core of the impasse—a barrier wall along the southern border—has yet to be resolved as Trump declares a national emergency to obtain funds for it. But the budget deal ends a period of alarm and uncertainty for people who rely on federal assistance to pay for housing, and in fact gives the programs that provide that assistance a funding boost.

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For 2019, tenant-based rental assistance, including Section 8 rental vouchers, got a 2.65 percent increase in funding to $22.5 billion. Project-based rental assistance got a 1 percent increase to $11.7 billion.

The public housing capital fund—which is used to make repairs and improvements on public housing units—saw a modest increase of $25 million in funding to $2.7 billion. Likewise, the public housing operating fund got a 2.26 percent increase in funding to $4.6 billion. Given that the funding increases are modest, it’s unlikely they will go toward any new initiatives.........Read More