Day of Action for Affordable Housing – October 12th

The Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) is holding a National Call-In Day today, October 12^th, to urge Congress to meaningfully invest in affordable housing programs to battle homelessness for the Fiscal Year 2023. Shepherd’s Table encourages you to call your Senators and Representatives, as these programs are critical in our fight to end homelessness.

Use the provided script (included below) to highlight the following FY2023 priorities:

• $3.6 billion for HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants program to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness
• $32.13 billion for the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance program to renew all existing contracts and expand housing vouchers to an additional 200,000 households
• $5.125 billion for the Public Housing Capital Fund to preserve public housing, and $5.06 billion for the Public Housing Operating Fund
• $100 million for legal assistance to prevent evictions
• $300 million for the competitive tribal housing program, targeted to Native American and indigenous communities with the greatest need
• It is vital that Congress increases funding for these programs to help people overcome homelessness and to expand and protect affordable housing, so that residents can stay safe and stably housed.

To advocate for this level of funding, call your senators and district representative:

• 1^st Congressional District Representative Andy Harris, (202)225-5311
• 2^nd Congressional District Representative Dutch Ruppersberger, (202)225-3061
• 3^rd Congressional District Representative John Sarbanes, (202)225-4016
• 4^th Congressional District Representative Anthony Brown (202)225-8699
• 5^th Congressional District Representative Steny Hoyer, (202) 225-4131
• 6^th Congressional District Representative David Trone, (202)225-2721
• 7^th Congressional District Representative Kweisi Mfume (202)225-4741
• 8^th Congressional District Representative Jamie Raskin, (202) 225-5341
• Senator Benjamin Cardin, (202) 224-5424
• Senator Chris Van Hollen, (202) 224-4654

If you are a representative of an organization, you can also add your org to this sign-on letter by October 31^st.

If you have any questions, please contact Brenna Olson, our advocacy coordinator at [email protected].

We hope you’ll take some time to advocate for resources to end homelessness and support affordable housing at the federal level. Thank you to CHCDF and National Low Income Housing Coalition for organizing the National Call-in Day!

Sample Script:

"Hello, 

My name is ______ and I am a constituent from ________, Maryland. I am calling to ask [name of Congress member] to meaningfully invest in affordable housing and homelessness programs in Fiscal Year 2023. 

Specifically, they should vote for $3.6 billion for HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants, $32.13 billion for the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance and $100 million for legal assistance to prevent evictions.

Additionally, they should support appropriating $5.125 billion for the Public Housing Capital Fund, $5.06 billion for the Public Housing Operating Fund and $300 million for the competitive tribal housing program.

Housing is an essential part of life and must be adequately funded in the FY 2023 budget. Thank you for your time and for considering my request. Have a good day!"

Tip: If you have a personal connection to affordable housing or homelessness, include it in your call if you feel comfortable doing so— your lived experience is important. Example: “As a Maryland resident that has experienced firsthand what it is like to be unsure of where I will spend the next night, it is extremely important to me that my representatives see the importance of solving this problem.”