Bishop’s Committee on Affordable Housing Urges Public Investment in Homes
From the Bishop’s Committee on Affordable Housing:
Now is the time to choose affordable homes, not homelessness. One third of our neighbors have few choices because they cannot afford their homes and too many do not have homes at all, but we all have the opportunity to voice our support of once-in-a-lifetime public investment in good places to live.
The State of North Carolina will receive $5.7 billion through the American Rescue Plan approved by Congress earlier this year and Governor Roy Cooper proposed investing $575 million of it in housing to assist individuals and families hardest hit by the pandemic.
Visualize children moving into quality apartments and houses. Think of warmer-safer-drier homes after major repairs. Picture the excitement of finally buying a home with downpayment assistance or moving from homelessness to housing with rental support. Calculate the jobs construction jobs created, the health and safety protected, and the surge in productivity and learning when workers and students have stability.
But affordable housing does not get high priority without elected leaders hearing from constituents. The NC Senate budget proposal is tax cuts and stashing savings rather than investment in housing for present and future North Carolinians. We can choose homes, not homelessness, for young children with parents working two jobs, for seniors and those with disabilities no longer able to work. Now is the time to choose while we have this opportunity.
Contact your legislative representatives to urge them to make a significant appropriation of at least $50 million to the NC Housing Trust Fund, which is a proven way to create stable housing.
Look up your Senate and House legislators at www.ncleg.gov/
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