This month, the Administration announced a new proposal that would evict mixed-status immigrant families from federally-assisted housing across the nation, including in Idaho. Idaho Voices for Children – in partnership with the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the National Housing Law Project – worked to generate public comments on this harmful rule via the #keepfamiliestogether campaign.
Current law, regulation and practice already ensures that ineligible people do not receive housing assistance, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which oversees housing programs, has already determined this proposal would provide no benefit to families on housing waiting lists.
If the proposal moves forward, more than 25,000 families – including 55,000 children eligible for housing assistance – could be forced to make the impossible decision of either losing their homes or separating.
Idaho Voices for Children’s activated its network of affordable housing advocates to submit comments on behalf of their organizations against the rule, gaining commitments from 8 organizations and counting. Additionally, Voices hosted a couple of in-person comment-writing events at our offices in early July and shared information on how to submit comments with our followers through email and social media.
This HUD proposed rule comes months after another Administration rule – known as the public charge – moved forward. The public charge rule would force families to choose between critical food and health assistance, and keeping their family together.
This HUD proposed rule comes months after another Administration rule – known as public charge – moved forward. The public charge rule would force families to choose between critical food and health assistance, and keeping their family together. Voices mobilized its network of health, hunger, and advocates to submit public comments in opposition.