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NATIONAL RURAL HOUSING COALITION 1331 G Street, N.W., 10Th Floor, Washington, DC 20005  (202) 393-5225  Fax (202) 393-3034 

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NATIONAL RURAL HOUSING COALITION 1331 G Street, N.W., 10Th Floor, Washington, DC 20005  (202) 393-5225  Fax (202) 393-3034  NATIONAL RURAL HOUSING COALITION 1331 G Street, N.W., 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 393-5225 fax (202) 393-3034 http://ruralhousingcoalition.org/ April 14, 2015 The Honorable Jerry Moran The Honorable Jeff Merkley Chairman, Subcommittee on Agriculture, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Administration, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations Committee on Appropriations U.S. Senate U.S. Senate Washington DC 20515 Washington DC 20515 Dear Chairman Moran and Ranking Member Merkley: We, the undersigned 1,909 rural organizations and advocates, write to express our support for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Housing programs and our strong opposition to the reductions proposed in the President’s Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Budget Request. We respectfully request full funding for USDA Rural Housing Programs in FY16. Despite significant need in rural America, the Obama Administration has not made rural housing and rural development a high priority over the last several years. The Administration continued this trend in its FY16 Budget Request by proposing to decrease the Budget Authority for USDA Rural Housing programs by more than $27 million. The hardest hit program is the highly successful Section 523 Mutual Self-Help Housing program. Under the program, small groups of 6 to 12 families come together on nights and weekends to build their own homes. In doing so, Self-Help Housing families can reduce construction costs, earn equity in their homes, and build lasting communities. This is exactly the type of program that the Administration should champion: Self-Help Housing encourages self-reliance and hard work, helps families build wealth, stimulates local economies, and is in high demand with over 35,000 families currently on wait lists for the program. Instead, the Administration proposed cutting the program by more than 60 percent from $27.5 million to just $10 million. Likewise, the FY16 Budget Request demonstrates the Administration’s limited support for the Section 502 Direct Loan program. When subsidy rates dropped this year, the program produced more than $5 million in savings. Instead of reinvesting these funds back into the Section 502 Direct Loan program, USDA sought to shift this money to other parts of the budget. Today, the Section 502 Direct Loan program is an effective tool to help rural families access affordable homeownership opportunities. It is exclusively targeted to rural families earning less than 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), and by law, 40 percent of all program funds must be used to help families earning less than 50 percent of AMI. Despite serving rural families with limited economic means, it is one of the most cost-effective federal housing programs. Each loan costs the federal government $9,000 on average over the entire lifetime of the loan—or just $272 a year. Other federal housing programs cost as much annually. USDA should invest in Section 502 Direct Loans, not use every excuse in the book to cut the program. 1 NATIONAL RURAL HOUSING COALITION 1331 G Street, N.W., 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 393-5225 fax (202) 393-3034 http://ruralhousingcoalition.org/ USDA’s Rural Housing programs also provide much-needed access to affordable rental housing. Today, more than 400,000 rural seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families— earning just $12,000 each year on average—live in rental housing financed with USDA Section 515 Rural Rental Housing Loans. USDA’s Section 514/516 Farm Labor Housing program provides critical low-cost loans and grants to help build, improve, and preserve affordable housing for America’s farmworkers, who suffer from extremely high levels of poverty and who frequently live in substandard, crowded conditions. In addition, USDA’s Section 521 Rural Rental Assistance program provides a lifeline to more than 270,000 tenants—who earn just $10,000 a year on average—living in USDA-financed rental housing properties. Without access to USDA’s rental housing programs, many of rural America’s most vulnerable residents would have no other options for affordable housing. Congress should ensure that adequate funding is available for all expiring rental assistance contracts, renovation, repair, and preservation of existing rural rental housing developments, and new construction of rental and farmworker housing. USDA’s Water and Wastewater programs provide critical resources to rural communities with severely limited access to a clean and affordable water supply. Communities along the U.S./Mexico border, on Native American lands, and in the Appalachian region are at an especially high risk of water insecurity, as are communities with a high number of farm workers. Without access to USDA’s Water and Wastewater loans and grants, rural communities are often unable to meet the basic health and development needs of its residents. We urge appropriations at a level not less than the FY16 Budget Request for water/sewer financing. The housing and community facilities programs administered by USDA have improved the lives of millions of rural families and the communities where they live. In recent years, we have been disappointed by the Administration’s Budget Requests. However, Congress has recognized the success of federal rural development programs and has made sure adequate funding was available. We urge you to do so for FY16. Sincerely, Organizations (725) Organization State 7th Level Real Estate California Academy Mortgage Corporation Utah Access Philanthropy Minnesota Accord Corporation New York Ace Mortgage Louisiana Action Gypsum Supply, L.P. Texas Addison County Community Trust Vermont Affordable Homes of South Texas, Inc. Texas 2 NATIONAL RURAL HOUSING COALITION 1331 G Street, N.W., 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 393-5225 fax (202) 393-3034 http://ruralhousingcoalition.org/ Affordable Housing, Education & Development (AHEAD) New Hampshire AFGE Local 3354 Missouri Agape Mortgage California AHEAD, Inc. New Hampshire AIDS Coalition of Southwestern Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank Ohio Alabama Rural Ministry Alabama Alaska Community Development Corporation Alaska Albemarle Housing Improvement Program Virginia Alcova Mortgage & Bailey Insurance Group Virginia Alianza Nacional de Campesinas California All Family Lending California Aloha Mortgage Loans Hawaii Alpha and Omega Freedom Ministries Florida Alto Vista Realty, LLC Texas American Financial Network Utah American Southwest Mortgage Corporation Florida America's Choice Home Loans New Jersey Anchor Real Estate California Apex Mortgage, LLC Hawaii Appalbanc Kentucky Arbor Housing and Development New York Architecture for Charity Texas Area Home Lending Louisiana Arizona Housing Alliance Arizona Arizona Platinum Realty Arizona Armstrong County Community Action Agency Pennsylvania Arx Advantage, LLC Texas Associated Resources Inc. Arkansas Association of Mississippi Habitat For Humanity Affiliates Mississippi Assurance Financial Group Louisiana Astoria, LLC Virginia Austin Community Design and Development Center Texas Avera South Dakota Avesta Housing Maine BancorpSouth Bank Arkansas Bank of Eastern Oregon Oregon 3 NATIONAL RURAL HOUSING COALITION 1331 G Street, N.W., 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 393-5225 fax (202) 393-3034 http://ruralhousingcoalition.org/ Bank of the Pacific Washington Bank of Washington Missouri Barb Lamphere Consulting New York Bassett/Rock County Chamber of Commerce Nebraska Beacon Construction Virginia Bean Group, Realtor New Hampshire Beattyville Housing & Development Corporation, Inc. Kentucky Beaulac Associates New York Beekman Advisors Virginia Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency Kentucky Belmont Management Company, Inc New York Benchmark Home Loans South Carolina BETCO Consulting, LLC Texas Better Homes of Seaford Delaware BikeTexas Texas Bilbrew Consulting Services Mississippi Billy Trent Construction Kentucky Bishop E. San Pedro Ozanam Center Texas Bishop Sheen Ecumenical Housing Foundation New York Blue Ridge Independent Living Center Virginia Border Customs Service Texas Boyd Osborne Realtor Group Arkansas Boys, Girls, Adult Community Development Center Arkansas Bozarth Home Mortgage Oklahoma Brand New Day, Inc. New Jersey Brazos Valley Affordable Housing Corporation Texas Brownsville Affordable Homeownership Corporation Texas BuildingCommunity Workshop Texas Burbank Housing Development Corporation California C Everett Larrabee & Associates, LLC Maine C.J. Brown Realtors Louisiana Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation California Cache Title Company Utah California Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies California California Center for Rural Policy California California Coalition for Rural Housing California California Housing Partnership California 4 NATIONAL RURAL HOUSING COALITION 1331 G Street, N.W., 10th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 (202) 393-5225 fax (202) 393-3034 http://ruralhousingcoalition.org/ California Institute for Rural Studies California Calistoga Affordable Housing California Cameron County Homeless Partnership Texas Cameron County Housing Texas Cameron Elk Counties Mental Health and Mental Pennsylvania Retardation Program Campbell County Board Realtors Wyoming Campesinos Sin Fronteras Arizona Canton Housing Authority Mississippi CAP Services, Inc. Wisconsin Caring First Home Health Texas CASA of Oregon Oregon CastleRock Mortgage Group of LA, LLC Louisiana Cathedral
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