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Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Approves FY 2018 HUD Funding Bill

Published on July 26, 2017 by Althea Arnold
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Approves FY 2018 HUD Funding Bill

On July 25, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (THUD) approved by voice vote its Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 funding bill. Though the bill is not yet publicly available, the Subcommitteeā€™s press release says the bill fully funds Section 8 rental assistance and funds the HOME Investment Partnerships program (HOME) at $950 million, the same as its enacted FY 2017 funding level.

The Senate Subcommittee-approved THUD bill includes $40.2 billion in discretionary funding for HUD programs, an increase of $1.4 billion above the FY 2017 enacted level. During the markup, Subcommittee Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) explained that much of this increase was needed to renew existing rental assistance contracts, which now consume more than 84 percent of the HUD budget.

Collins thanked Subcommittee members for their input throughout the billā€™s development, noting how often she heard bipartisan support for HOME and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, both of which the Administration had slated for elimination.

Senate bill highlights include:

  • $950 million for HOME, the same as its FY 2017 funding level.
  • $11.5 billion to renew all project-based rental assistance contracts, an increase of $691 million over the FY 2017 funding level. The Subcommittee says this is sufficient to renew all existing contracts.
  • $21.365 billion for the Housing Choice Voucher program, $1.07 billion more than in FY 2017. The Subcommittee says this funding level is sufficient to renew all existing vouchers.
  • $2.456 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, $73 million more than in FY 2017.
  • $20 million for new family unification vouchers.
  • $55 million for new grants to end youth homelessness.
  • $40 million for HUD-VASH vouchers.
  • $3 billion for CDBG, the same as its FY 2017 funding level.
  • $573 million for the Section 202 Housing for the Elderly program, $70.6 million more than in FY 2017.
  • $147 million for the Section 811 Housing for People with Disabilities program, $1 million more than in FY 2017.
  • $6.45 billion for the Public Housing, $103.5 million more than in FY 2017.
  • $330 million for the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program, $26 million less than in FY 2017.
  • $160 million for the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes grants, $15 million more than in FY 2017.

NCSHA will distribute an updated Appropriations Chart once the Subcommittee has released the bill and report language.

The full Committee will consider this bill on Thursday, July 27 at 10:30 am.