Action Alert: Call Reps. Gillmor (R), LaTourette (R), Pryce (R) and Wilson (D) on Housing Voucher Bill

The National Low Income Housing Coalition is urging everyone concerned about public and assisted housing, an area that has been sadly neglected the past six years, to call U.S. Representatives on the Financial Service Committee immediately in support H.R. 1851, the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act, which is slated to be marked up today. The bill would enact these important improvements:

* Fixes to the distribution of voucher renewal funds by establishing annual rebenchmarking of voucher costs that will most closely match actual costs of administering vouchers at the local level.

* Supports the portability of vouchers by requiring receiving housing agencies to absorb ported-in vouchers from other housing agencies. Receiving housing agencies would be paid back with reallocated HUD funds.

* Simplifies rent calculations for voucher, public housing and project-based Section 8 tenants.

* Requires HUD to issue tenant protection vouchers (including enhanced vouchers) for all public and assisted housing units that are lost.

The NLIHC also supports these anticipated amendments:

* An amendment by Representative Green (D-TX) for 100,000 new vouchers in each of the next five years.

* An amendment by Representative Stephen Lynch (D-MA) to reduce the number of voucher holders who face very high rent burdens.

* An amendment by Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) to improve housing conditions and promote family stability by allowing owners up to six months to repair non-life threatening defects before voucher tenants are forced to move.

* An amendment by Representative Mel Watt (D-NC) to prohibit denials by PHAs of voucher assistance based on factors that are unrelated to a family's ability to fulfill their assisted lease and, in the case of all terminations and denials, require the consideration of mitigating circumstances in a fair hearing initiated by the PHA.

* An amendment by Representative Michael Capuano (D-MA) to improve enhanced vouchers for tenants.

The Ohio committee members are Steven LaTourette (R-Concord Township), Paul Gillmor (R-Old Fort), Deborah Pryce (R-Upper Arlington), and Charlie Wilson (D-St. Clairsville). You can call them toll-free at 877-210-5351 and report the results of your call as outreach-at-nlihc-dot-org.