Senate Appropriations Committee Approves FY 2019 THUD Bill Sustaining Increased Funding for Most …

On June 7, the Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) funding bill, which provides $44.5 billion in total net discretionary spending for HUD programs, a four percent increase over FY 2018 levels. According to THUD Subcommittee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-ME), this increased allocation ensured that the bill could fully fund all tenant- and project-based rental assistance, maintain FY 2018’s increased funding levels for critical programs including the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), and make other targeted investments. NCSHA will provide a more detailed analysis of the bill when it is publicly available; below are preliminary HUD highlights:

• $1.362 billion for HOME, the same as FY 2018 enacted, and 10 percent higher than what the House Appropriations Committee provided in its FY 2019 bill.
• $3.3 billion for Community Development Block Grants, equal to FY 2018 funding.
• $2.6 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, $200 million more than FY 2018 funding, with $82 million set aside to address youth homelessness and $50 million for survivors of domestic violence.
• $678 million to the Section 202 Housing for the Elderly program, equal to FY 2018 funding, with $51 million set aside for new units and $10 million for home modification grants to help low-income seniors age in place.
• $22.8 billion for Housing Choice Vouchers, 11 percent more than FY 2018 funding and $324 million more than the House FY 2019 bill.
• $11.7 billion to renew all project-based rental assistance contracts, an increase of $632 million over the FY 2018 funding level.
• $154 million for Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities, equal to the House version and $75 million less than FY 2018 funding.
• $40 million for HUD–Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers, equal to FY 2018 funding.
• $260 million for lead hazard abatement, $30 million more than FY 2018 funding.

The Senate is expected to consider the FY 2019 THUD bill this summer, but it has not yet scheduled such consideration.