Access to housing assistance remains extremely limited—only one in four families who are eligible for rent assistance in the United States receive it. First Focus remains concerned changes in the legislative discussion draft, the Promoting Resident Opportunity through Rent Reform Act (PROTRRA), would further limit access to housing assistance for millions of low-income families with children through allowing public housing authorities to increase rent for tenants, remove deductions on income calculations for medical expenses and child care costs, and impose work requirements.
In order to actually help families, achieve economic security, we should make further investments in evidence-based job training programs, higher education, affordable childcare, and transportation infrastructure. When it comes to increasing access to stable housing, we need to increase rental assistance, expand access to civil legal services for families facing evictions and other housing disputes, and build upon programs that pair housing with wraparound services. This includes increasing and building upon partnerships between public housing authorities and public school systems designed to improve the educational outcomes of children living in subsidized housing.
For more information on ways to help families achieve economic security, please see Our Kids, Our Future, a new resource from the U.S. Child Poverty Action Group.