NALHFA Members Advocate in Washington D.C. to Protect Vital Housing Programs

Last week Florida members of the National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies (NALHFA) visited Capitol Hill to meet with congressional offices and advocated for the preservation and strengthening of key federal housing programs.

NALHFA President Cheree Gulley, Executive Director of the Housing Finance Authority of Miami-Dade County, was joined by fellow NALHFA Board members Kathryn Driver, Executive Director of the Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County, and Frantz Dutes, Executive Director with the Orange County Housing Finance Authority.

Additionally, NALHFA Legislative Committee Vice-Chair Ken Silverman, Vice President of Government Affairs with the Housing Opportunities Commission, NALHFA Executive Director Jonathan Paine and NALHFA Director of Government Affairs Josh Brandwein attended the meetings. 

They visited the offices of U.S. Representatives Byron Donalds (R-FL-19); Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL-13); Frederica Wilson (D-FL-24) and U.S. Senators Ashley Moody (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL). 

The delegation emphasized the association’s strong opposition to the Fiscal Year 2026 presidential budget proposal to consolidate essential housing assistance programs including Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA), Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), Public Housing, Section 202 Housing for the Elderly, and Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities into a single State Rental Assistance Block Grant. NALHFA’s members communicated to Capitol Hill offices that such a restructuring would jeopardize the long-term stability, effectiveness, and oversight of critical programs that currently serve some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations. 

NALHFA leaders also urged Congress to increase funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Programs. NALHFA Board members shared real-world examples of how CDBG and HOME funding enables them to leverage public-private partnerships and finance developments that provide safe, stable, and affordable housing in communities across the country. The association reaffirmed its commitment to working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to ensure federal housing investments remain strong, targeted, and locally driven.