The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its budget for FY2017, which focuses on affordable housing, ending homelessness, making communities more resilient from natural disasters and protection the public from housing discrimination.
The budget includes $48.9 billion in gross discretionary funding and $11.3 billion in new mandatory spending over ten years, with an emphasis on supporting 4.5 million households through rental assistance; increasing homeless assistance; supporting tribal communities and providing opportunities to Native American youth; and making targeted investments in communities to help revitalize high-poverty neighborhoods and improve housing affordability.
“HUD’s proposed budget was built on the values that we uphold as Americans. That our entire nation benefits when our children grow up in a community that’s full of promise, not problems,” said HUD Secretary Julián Castro. “When a hard-working family is able to responsibly buy their first-home, put down roots, and build wealth. When homeless veterans are able to get the housing they need to succeed in the very nation they risked so much to protect. When every person gets a fair shot and a fair shake to achieve their dreams.”
To this end, HUD is allocating $20.9 billion for the Housing Choice Voucher program, to help approximately 2.2 million low-income families afford decent housing in neighborhoods of their choice, $10.8 billion for the Project-Based Rental Assistance Program, $2.1 billion for the Public Housing Authority administrative fees, $700 million for Native American Housing Block Grants, as well as $11 billion in mandatory spending and $112 million in discretionary spending for initiatives ending homelessness.
See HUD’s entire proposed budget here.
Cover Story: