Dear Property Owners:
We want to communicate with you the serious uncertainty surrounding rental assistance funding due to the ongoing review of federal programs and the recent executive order suspending payments from federal agencies. When the original order was issued, our contracted funding for federally supported programs was frozen for several days until the order was rescinded. Now, with over 2,600 federal programs under review, the uncertainty continues. You may understandably be concerned how this could affect your rent payments from EDEN and other federally funded housing organizations.
Rental assistance funding is critical—not just for our program participants, but for you as property owners, for the stability of the rental housing market, and for our broader economy. Any delay or interruption in funding could have significant consequences for tenants relying on assistance, for agencies who administer these programs, for property owners who depend on timely payments, and for local economies who serve all of these groups.
The current Administration is considering cutting HUD staffing by 50%, a move that would be disastrous amid the growing affordable housing crisis and rising rates of homelessness. At the same time, rental assistance is one of the areas under review, despite our FY24 funding contracts having already been appropriated by Congress.
HUD plays a critical role in ensuring that rental assistance reaches property owners and tenants, funding emergency housing programs, and supporting the development of affordable housing. Cutting HUD staff by 50% and further delaying our approved grant contracts would cause severe service interruptions within our agency, program shutdowns across our Continuum, and increased homelessness nationwide—all at a time when housing insecurity is at record levels.
We urge you to advocate for federal rental assistance with your networks and contact your members of Congress. This funding must continue, and Fiscal Year 2024 funding contracts—already allocated by Congress—must be quickly processed to prevent disruptions in payments and services.
Please contact your members of Congress today and urge them to:
1. Protect and fund HUD to maintain critical housing programs.
2. Ensure that Fiscal Year24 HUD funding contracts are processed without delay to prevent disruptions in rental assistance and services.
3. Reject drastic HUD staffing and program cuts, which would cripple the agency's ability to respond to the affordable housing crisis.
Please fiind your legislators and contact them now:
- House of Representatives: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
- U.S. Senate: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
- Congressional Switchboard: Call (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your senator or representative.
We have been counseled that feedback provided via telephone is the most effective, but if you cannot contact your legislators in this way, legislators' pages will also direct you how to message them via email to voice these critical concerns.
Your voice is essential in ensuring stability for all stakeholders. Please reach out to your legislators today.
Thank you for your partnership and support.
Sincerely,
Elaine Gimmel
Executive Director