Pelosi, Lee Trying to Force Vote on Affordable Housing Trust Fund

September 23, 2004

Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced that she has signed Congresswoman Barbara Lee's (D-CA) petition to force a vote on the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund legislation.

"The National Affordable Housing Trust Fund would provide families with safe and affordable housing. It is an investment in our nation's families and communities that will pay dividends for generations to come,” Pelosi said. “Working families in San Francisco and across the country should not be forced to choose between housing, health care, food, and other basic needs.”

According to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, 60 percent of San Francisco renters are unable to afford a two bedroom unit. A San Francisco renter, earning minimum wage, must work 160 hours per week to afford a one bedroom unit. According to the City of San Francisco, only 12 percent of households can afford to purchase the median priced home, and there are an estimated 3,000 chronically homeless in San Francisco.

The National Affordable Housing Trust Fund (H.R. 1102) would be modeled on the more than 280 successful state and local housing trust funds. It would fund the building, rehabilitation, and preservation of at least 1.5 million rental units over the next decade for low-income families. Funding may be used to create permanent and supportive housing units, and promote homeownership. This legislation has 214 bipartisan cosponsors in the House of Representatives, and is supported by more than 5,200 community organizations across the county.

Currently, 134 Members of the House have signed the discharge petition. A total of 218 Members must sign in order to force a vote on the bill.

“It is unacceptable that House Republican leaders are refusing to bring this widely supported bipartisan legislation to the floor for a vote,” Pelosi said.

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