The Trump Administration released its full proposal for the 2018 federal budget today. It expands on the budget blueprint outline that was released in March and provides greater detail on the President’s request. In the proposal, President Trump calls for elimination of every federal program used by Habitat Wake, including several grant programs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Corporation for National Service, which houses the AmeriCorps program. The funding we receive from HUD is equivalent to 20 Habitat homes in Wake County each year. We also host full-time AmeriCorps members who increase our capacity to build and enable us to serve more families. According to U.S. Census data, over 120,000 households in Wake County are cost-burdened, or pay more than 30% of their income towards housing costs. Investment in HUD programs is essential to the health of our community, particularly as the need for affordable housing continues to increase while available funding sources decrease. While the budget proposal is alarming, Congress is ultimately responsible for making final funding decisions. As a community, we can make a difference by speaking up in support of these important federal programs. It’s a critical time for Members of Congress to hear from us! Please take a moment to contact Senators Thom Tillis (202-224-6342) and Richard Burr (202-224-3154), as well as your representative. Let them know that these programs are vital to affordable housing in Wake County and must be protected. Thanks for your support!
