Advocacy Opportunities:
Federal Advocacy:
Request for Input: Tenant Protection Dialogue
With the discussion of Boise’s proposed zoning code comes additional visibility about Tenant Protection (and affordable housing production, AND the preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing). On the national level, The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) issued a Request for Input (RFI) on how the agency can create and enforce renter protections for households living in rental properties with federally backed mortgages.
You can Register for next week’s training/comment party–12 June 2023 at 4pm MDT: https://us02web.zoom.us/
And you can submit a public comment here: https://nlihc.org/housed/urge-
FROM NAEH:
The clock is ticking on benefits that are critical to eliminate veteran homelessness.
During the beginning of the pandemic, Congress passed legislation to give the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) authority to provide veterans experiencing homelessness with additional services. We need your help to protect these benefits, which include:
- Basic essentials like food, shelter, clothing, blankets, and hygiene items.
- Transportation to appointments with service providers and conducting housing searches.
- Ways to stay in touch with providers and landlords, such as tablets, smartphones, and data plans.
During the pandemic – one of the toughest crises our country has faced – veteran homelessness actually went down by 11 percent. Much of that success can be directly attributed to the authority given to VA to provide these additional services. We need Congress to continue these COVID-era resources for veterans.
The Alliance is supporting bipartisan legislation on these efforts. In the House, H.R. 645 would give VA two years of authority to carry out those additional services. In the Senate, the Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) has just introduced the CHARGE Act (S. 1436) to permanently authorize these additional COVID services.
Please urge your Representatives to support and cosponsor H.R. 645 in the House, and your Senators to support and cosponsor S. 1436, so that the additional COVID resources don’t disappear. Even if you are not involved in veteran homelessness, we need your help! Now is not the time to take homelessness services away from veterans.
Steve Berg
Chief Policy Officer
National Alliance to End Homelessness
Local Advocacy:
Boise Zoning Code Hearings
After a unanimous recommendation for approval from the Planning & Zoning Commission, Boise City Council will consider the modern zoning code the week of June 12, 2023. Residents are encouraged to provide verbal testimony at the public hearing, either in-person or virtually. Written comments will be accepted until June 8, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. and should be submitted to zoningrewrite@cityofboise.org.
Prior to the Commission’s approval, the Boise/Ada County Homeless Coalition submitted a letter to P&Z in support of the zoning changes. Read the Homeless Coalition’s letter HERE.
Education Resources:
Learn about homelessness in Idaho: Read Idaho Housing and Finance’s report on The State of Homelessness in Idaho 2022. This illustrated 17-page report includes Forms of Homelessness, Primary Causes of Homelessness, Housing Permanency is Paramount, Extent of Homelessness, Resource Distribution, Characteristics of Homelessness, Need for Additional Housing, How You Can Help, and more.
Learn about homelessness in America: An Urban Institute quiz helps users assess how well they understand the causes of and solutions to one of the nation’s most pressing challenges.
Learn more about the factors that correlate most strongly with homelessness rates, interactions between the criminal justice system and homelessness, effective ways to end homelessness, and more.
Get the Action Alerts!
Throughout the year, as important opportunities arise to contact representatives at any level of government, or to reach out to the public, the Coalition emails action alerts to members and to everyone one our email list. Sign up to receive time-critical information about proposed legislation and policy issues. Most action alerts include links to easily submit input to your representatives, or addresses for your Letters to the Editor. See the Sign Up Form in the Sidebar to the right.