FW: National Congressional Call-In Week NEXT WEEK!
Christine Johansen
From: Kate Seif [mailto:CS...@NAEH.org]
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 11:06 AM
To: Kate Seif
Cc: Amanda Krusemark Benton
Subject: National Congressional Call-In Week NEXT WEEK!
Good Afternoon McKinney Campaign Advocates,
The Alliance has teamed up with its national partners in the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF)to sponsor a “National Call-In Week” next Monday, October 3 to Friday, October 7; we need you to call your Members of Congress and tell them to fully fund HUD programs for homelessness! The House and Senate have both released their FY 2012 funding bills for HUD programs. Their proposal included almost no additional funding for low-income housing and homelessness programs, including many cuts and, as you know, only flat funding for HUD’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants.
The two appropriations committees will now work to reconcile differences in the two bills and come to a final agreement on funding levels for HUD and its programs. This could be the last chance advocates have to make an impact, so we really want you to get involved! Those Members that sit on the Appropriations Committees in either the Senate or House are particularly important in this process. If your Member sits on the Appropriations Committee in his/her chamber, please reach out to them during call-in week and ask them to provide as much funding as possible for HUD and provide an increase to McKinney-Vento programs. If your Member does not sit on the Appropriations Committee, they can still have a significant impact on the process by reaching out to their colleagues on these committees.
The call-in week aims to convince Members of Congress to provide as much funding for HUD as possible. We urge you to call all your Members of Congress next week and ask them to provide as much funding for HUD as possible so that McKinney-Vento programs receive a much-needed increase.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Call your senators’ and representative’s offices and ask to speak to the person who handles housing issues (we can help you find out who that person is).
2. Explain the importance of increased HUD funding for McKinney-Vento programs using the attached talking points as a guide.
3. As them to have their bosses contact the leaders of the Appropriations Committees to ask them to provide as much funding as possible for HUD and INCREASE funding for McKinney-Vento programs. If your Member sits on the Appropriations Committee, have them tell their boss you want them to provide an increase for McKinney programs.
4. ASK OTHERS to be a part of this national effort! Reach out to colleagues, friends, family, and networks and ask them to take a moment to call their Members on this important issue. Customize the attached sample action alert and use it to mobilize others!
5. Let me know who you contacted! I’d love to hear about any action you took. Please don’t hesitate to email me at cs...@naeh.org with any questions!
Background
Both the House and Senate have passed most of their appropriations bills, and they are working RIGHT NOW to finalize compromise funding levels for key programs. Since Congress is unable to complete this process by the end of the fiscal year tomorrow, September 30, they passed a stopgap funding measure earlier this week to fund the government until November 18. It is widely expected that Congress will complete this process before November 18, and very likely do so sooner rather than later.
An increased funding level for McKinney-Vento programs is extremely important to implement the HEARTH Act to help expand and implement proven solutions like permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and prevention. With HPRP winding down, coupled with the weakened economy and the persistently high rate of unemployment, we are on the precipice of increased homelessness across our nation and flat funding homelessness programs is simply not enough. As a recent report from the Alliance indicates, the only way to stem this rising tide is increased federal resources, which we cannot secure without YOUR help!
The CHCDF is a coalition of national organizations concerned with ensuring that HUD receives the resources necessary to sustain important federal housing and community development programs. All member organizations are mobilizing their partners and field around this extremely important issue next week. If we can successfully get hundreds, and even thousands, of people to call in to their Members’ offices, we can make a HUGE impact on the final decision appropriators will make about funding levels for key programs impacting low-income housing and homelessness programs. This is a hugely important effort, but it can only be successful with your help.
If you need any help, please do not hesitate to let me know! I am happy to assist in any way that I can as you reach out to your Members’ offices. The Alliance is deeply appreciative of your efforts, and we really look forward to hearing about all the calls you make!
Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Kate
p.s. Please note that my colleague, Amanda Krusemark, will be out of the office through October 13 for her wedding and honeymoon. She will be returning as Amanda Benton (abe...@naeh.org) – please make note of this in your contacts. If you have any questions, concerns, or comments related to this campaign or advocacy in general while she is away, please contact me at the information provided below. Thank you!
Kate Seif
Catherine (Kate) Seif
Program and Policy Staff Person
National Alliance to End Homelessness
1518 K Street, NW Suite 410
Washington, DC 20005
202.942.8281
cs...@naeh.org
www.naeh.org