FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 24, 2007	Contact: Michele Anapol (202) 466-2121 x226 manapol@nhc.org

Statement by Conrad Egan, President and CEO of the National Housing Conference

Prepared in Response to the President’s State of the Union Address

“In response to the President’s State of the Union Address, the National Housing Conference urges the Administration to support and fully fund affordable housing and community development programs that are critical to the well-being of hard-working families and the future of America’s communities.

As our research affiliate, the Center for Housing Policy, found in its latest study on housing affordability, the wages earned by many key community workers are too low to enable them to purchase homes in the communities in which they serve; in many markets, working families also struggle to afford basic rental costs. Despite the continued need, the federal government appears poised to reduce by tens of thousands the number of families receiving housing assistance by continuing to fund housing programs at FY 2006 levels that are inadequate to support assistance at current levels in light of increases in rental and other operating costs.

To ensure continued federal support and leadership for successful housing and community development programs, we urge the Administration and the new Congress to work together in the spirit of bipartisanship, through deliberate, focused policies to provide the necessary funding. We also urge the Administration not to forget the Katrina-affected Gulf Coast Region. The government’s job is far from over in assisting the rebuilding process and meeting the housing and other basic needs of displaced Gulf Coast families. The area needs increased leadership and resources now more than ever.

The federal government also has a critical role to play in supporting state and local housing strategies. Earlier this month, the Center for Housing Policy issued a report documenting the wide array of successful state and local housing policies that help expand the availability of homes for working families. To strengthen the capacity of state and local governments to meet their citizens’ housing needs, the federal government should fund rigorous research demonstrations to evaluate ‘what works,’ provide information and technical assistance to state and local governments on how to craft a successful housing strategy, make it easier to combine different federal funding streams for affordable homes, and use new federal funding strategically to leverage additional resources and provide the right incentives for needed local action. The proposal developed in the last Congress to provide a tax credit for employers that invest in affordable homes for their workers is a good example of how the federal government could leverage significant private dollars for affordable homes.

We understand the great challenge the nation faces abroad and the subsequent tighter budget constraints at home, however we remind the Administration that the future of millions of Americans depends upon the strength of the nation’s affordable housing and community development programs.”



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