Kuster calls for Increased Funding for Affordable Housing

Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-NH, brought together stakeholders, affordable housing advocates, and community members to discuss New Hampshire’s housing needs, according to a press statement.

A strong advocate for protecting federal funds for affordable housing, Kuster called on her colleagues in Congress to put a stop to dangerous cuts to housing programs, and to fully fund the programs that help our communities shelter those in need.

“I’ve long called on my colleagues in Congress to preserve crucial funding for affordable housing, and today’s roundtable underscored the urgent need for increased investment in these programs now,” said Kuster. “The stories I heard during today’s roundtable truly illustrate how affordable housing units across the Granite State can help our hardworking families get ahead, but without federal funds, many of these programs are threatened and these families’ livelihoods are put in jeopardy. I will continue to work with the USDA to encourage expansion of rural development programs that are particularly important in communities like those located in the Upper Valley, and I urge my colleagues in Congress to come together and support federal affordable housing programs across the board.”

Today’s roundtable gave community leaders a chance to share with the Congresswoman their own thoughts on how Congress can better support the sustainability and development of affordable housing units in New Hampshire, and roundtable participants highlighted the most pressing needs of the Lebanon housing community. In particular, participants and audience members discussed the recent news that as many as 50 tenants and families living in the Pine Tree Lane apartments may be facing relocation after federal affordable housing subsidies for their complex expired. Congresswoman Kuster has reached out to the USDA to encourage the continuation of the housing subsidies needed to allow Pine Tree Lane residents to stay in their homes, and the roundtable participants and audience members discussed other possible solutions and courses of action.

Kuster was joined at the roundtable by a variety of community members and affordable housing advocates, including Laurel Redden from NH Housing Action, Dean Christon from NH Housing Finance Authority, Ditha DeSimone from Lebanon Housing Authority, Anne Duncan Cooley from the Upper Valley Housing Coalition, Lynne Goodwin from Lebanon Human Services Department, Andrew Winter from Twin Pines Trust, and Keith Thibault from Southwestern Community Services, among others. In addition to the roundtable discussion, Kuster heard from and took questions from community members in attendance.

During the roundtable, Kuster provided an update on her longstanding efforts in Washington to fight for funding for important programs that support affordable housing, as well as her work to provide tax relief to encourage the development of new units. In addition to working closely with the USDA to encourage an extension of the subsidy program, Kuster has also advocated for the expansion of the Section 8 program, which provides rental assistance to seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families, and she has fought for funding for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, which helps states and local governments build affordable housing for families in need. She is also a cosponsor of legislation to make permanent the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, which provides tax relief for private developers who construct affordable rental housing, and she is a cosponsor of legislation to make permanent the New Markets Tax Credit, which incentivizes private economic development in low-income communities, including through investment in affordable housing projects.

Kuster will take the thoughts and concerns she heard during today’s roundtable back to Washington, where she will continue to urge her colleagues to stop harmful cuts and increase their efforts across the board to ensure that every hardworking Granite Stater and American in need has access to housing that they can afford.