Letter
Letter to the U.S. Senate on the National Housing Trust Fund and Assistance for Unemployed Workers, March 5, 2010
Letter from Bishop William F. Murphy, Chairman, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development to the U.S. Senate on the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) and Unemployment, March 5, 2010
On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), I urge you to provide crucial support to millions of low income Americans. The USCCB believes that two very important issues face Congress: dedicated revenues for the Housing Trust Fund and continued assistance to unemployed American workers.
The National Housing Trust Fund was established to provide communities with resources to build, preserve, and rehabilitate rental homes that are affordable for extremely low-income households. The Housing Trust needs funds to provide for the construction or rehabilitation of rental housing benefiting these households. The Catholic bishops recognize that far too many families cannot find or afford decent housing, or families must spend so much of their income for shelter that they forego other necessities, such as food and medicine. The Housing Trust fund would help preserve and increase the supply of affordable housing for low income families. We urge that dedicated revenues be made available.
Additionally, the renewed benefits Congress provided for unemployed workers last year as the unemployment rate rose to historic levels are set to expire. These important benefits, in the form of extended unemployment insurance benefits and other supports, helped millions of people keep their homes, maintain their health insurance, and feed their families. Without quick Congressional action to extend these unemployment benefits and additional support though 2010, millions of workers will be left without the financial wherewithal to provide for their families. Not only would this be a horrible blow to the fragile economic recovery, it would be a tragedy for these families and the communities in which they live.