Affordable housing is a basic human need, but many families’ incomes aren’t high enough to afford market-rate rents in their neighborhoods. Republican budget proposals could make this worse. Many households already struggling to afford rent could have their housing assistance taken away under Republican proposals that Congress could consider this year, putting them at risk of eviction and homelessness. Past Republican proposals would cut trillions of dollars over the next decade from the part of the federal budget that funds rental assistance. This year’s funding proposals from House Republicans are insufficient to protect rental assistance for hundreds of thousands of people. Other Republican proposals would impose harmful changes such as rent hikes and inflexible work requirements and undercut community efforts to reduce homelessness and housing discrimination.

Republican Proposals Would Worsen Shortage of Rental Assistance

Federal rental assistance makes housing affordable for more than 10 million people, including nearly 3.3 million children, 2.6 million people with disabilities, and 2.1 million older adults. Rental assistance sharply reduces homelessness and other hardships and lifts close to 3 million people above the poverty line. […]