The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) has released its FY26 advocacy toolkit, “Opposing Cuts to Federal Investments in Affordable Housing,” and SEACAA is urging advocates across the Southeast to use it to call on Congress to protect and expand critical affordable housing and homelessness resources in the upcoming federal budget.

For decades, programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have been underfunded—leaving millions of families without access to safe, affordable homes. Today, only 1 in 4 eligible households receives rental assistance. The consequences of this chronic disinvestment are staggering: record levels of housing instability and rising homelessness.

On May 2, President Trump released a partial FY26 budget proposal that would slash HUD funding by a historic 44%, including a 43% cut to rental assistance and the restructuring of the Homelessness Assistance Grants (HAG) program. Several vital programs would be eliminated entirely.

But Congress—not the White House—has the final say.

As Congress begins drafting its FY26 funding bills, now is the time to raise your voice and demand investments in housing, not cuts. NLIHC’s toolkit provides facts, data, talking points, and calls to action, including:

• Full funding for all existing Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) and 60,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs).
• Increased funding for public housing operations and capital needs.
• $4.922 billion for HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants.
• $20 million for the Eviction Protection Grant Program.
• At least $1.3 billion for Tribal housing programs and $150 million in competitive funds for high-need tribes.

Additionally, NLIHC has partnered with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, National Alliance to End Homelessness, and National Housing Law Project on the “Reject Housing Cuts and EHV Funding Cliff: Action Toolkit” to support advocates with deeper resources and data.

Over 2,300 national, state, local, Tribal, and territorial organizations have already signed CHCDF’s national letter urging Congress to fund housing at the highest possible levels. Join them and make your voice heard.

📢 Download the FY26 Toolkit and Take Action Now