Rep. Adam Schiff Introduces Bill to Protect Affordable Housing Programs During Potential Government Shutdown
Washington, D.C. - Today, Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) introduced the Affordable Housing Stability During Shutdowns Act, which would exempt several federal rental assistance programs from the impact of a government shutdown.
The Affordable Housing Stability During Shutdowns Act would safeguard critical housing assistance for the most vulnerable such as low-income Americans, seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children.
“Californians should not bear the consequences of a Republican Congress that cannot govern,” said Rep. Schiff. “I'm introducing the Affordable Housing Stability During Shutdowns Act to protect workers and families by ensuring that funding for rental assistance programs is available during a government shutdown. The housing crisis is bad enough without a government shutdown making it so much worse.”
The Affordable Housing Stability During Shutdowns Act would ensure funding will be made available for several rental assistance programs in the event of a government shutdown. These programs include:
- Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), including the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Section 8, Project-Based Vouchers, and other rental assistance payments, impacting over 2 million people in low-income households. Two-thirds of PBRA heads of households are seniors and disabled adults, and the average household income is just over $13,000.
- HUD’s Supportive Housing for the Elderly program, which provides affordable housing to over 400,000 low-income older adults.
- HUD’s Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) program, which offers rental assistance and supportive services for 1.1 million households consisting of adults with long-term disabilities.
- Rental Assistance through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development (RD) program, which currently helps nearly 300,000 eligible tenants nationwide living in RD-financed multifamily housing afford to pay their rent.
During the historic government shutdowns in 2013 and 2018, the vast majority of the HUD employees were furloughed, and departmental operations were reduced to minimal activity. In addition, nearly all of the USDA’s Rural Development staff administering housing programs were also furloughed, threatening the agency’s rural rental housing activities and having a significant impact on renters in rural housing programs.
You can find the full bill text here.
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