(HealthyExaminer.com) – Many Americans struggle to find safe and affordable housing. Low-income families and indebted renters often spend more than half their monthly salaries on rent, which can create a disastrous financial situation that doesn’t leave room for unexpected expenses or emergencies.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) was formed to create more equitable public policies around affordable housing. These public policies help low-income residents find affordable homes within their communities.
Understanding NLIHC
The National Low Income Housing Coalition is an agency that includes organizations, corporations, government entities, and individuals. The primary function is to end homelessness and help support families during the United States housing crisis. The agency attempts to preserve existing housing and housing resources, create more stability in the housing market, and provide access to more low-income housing that is both safe and affordable.
NLIHC educates individuals and lawmakers about the housing crisis, the necessity of affordable homes in communities, and the importance of equitable housing policies. It also shapes public opinion on low-income housing initiatives.
NLIHC Programs
NLIHC offers several programs to directly address the U.S. housing crisis including the following:
Housing First
The Housing First program aims to reduce homelessness by finding permanent housing for homeless individuals and families. NLIHC is responsible for organizing a Housing First Working Group providing congressional support for this strategy of ending homelessness.
Public Housing
Public Housing is owned by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and provides low-income households with housing assistance. NLIHC advocates for the preservation of public housing.
Housing Choice Voucher
Low-income Americans may qualify for the Housing Choice Voucher program, which provides safe and affordable homes within the private market by compensating the property owner for the difference between the cost of the rental and what the homeowner can afford to pay each month. NLIHC supports the expansion and protection of this voucher program.
National Housing Trust Fund
The National Housing Trust Fund builds, rehabilitates, preserves, and operates low-income rental housing. The NLIHC helped with its formation and works to implement, protect, and expand the program by offering congressional support and locating resources to find HTF for low-income households.
Housing-Related Tax Credits
Housing-related tax credits are supported by NLIHC and include renter and low-income housing tax credits. This program helps millions of low-income earners each year access affordable housing.
Project-Based Housing
The federal government partners with public-private partnership programs to develop affordable rental units. NLIHC is devoted to preserving public housing by collecting data and preserving housing resources.
Safe and affordable housing has become a crisis in the United States. Data collected by the NLIHC shows just how out of reach affordable housing has become in many states. NLIHC programs help low-income families find safe, decent, and affordable homes.
Which NLIHC Resources Are Available to the Public?
NLIHC offers housing assistance through the End Rental Arrears to Stop Evictions (ERASE project). This program was enacted by Congress and is aimed at helping marginalized and low-income households eliminate rental debt and stop evictions. The ERASE project analyzes emergency rental assistance use, documents practices, and develops education and outreach programs. This program is designed to advocate for long-term investments meant to eliminate housing instability.
Affordable housing is a hot-button issue that needs to be addressed with urgency. You can join NLIHC in urging Congress to create equitable, anti-racist policies that help connect low-income families to affordable homes in their communities.
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