Summer is near, and this is a good time to take a (brief) pause and look back on the first half of this year.
Thinking back to January, we all knew it would be an extremely difficult year. And while we truly believed that we could all work together to fight back the threats against our work, we also know that this was going to be extraordinarily difficult.
Six months later, we are still in a battle, but I must tell you that I am proud and inspired by the results of our collective efforts.
To start with, last week we learned that Q3 and Q4 CoC Program renewal awards were announced. That means providers across this country will have the resources that they were assured to continue their life-saving work. This was not guaranteed, and HUD’s lack of urgency in releasing the awards was thwarted primarily by each of you speaking up and demanding what had been committed to you. Unfortunately, HUD continues to move slowly; fewer than 50 grants have received funds, so we all need to keep speaking up. You can take action here.
Last week, we also saw the House FY2027 Appropriations bill. Similar to last year, the House rejected President Trump’s budget proposal. And while the House bill leaves a lot of room for improvement, there is still time to flex your advocacy skills to influence the federal budget process. Please stand by for future advocacy alerts on that topic!
As we plan for the second half of this year, I hope that you all feel the power and influence you’ve wielded so far this year. This won’t be easy (nothing in this work is), but now that we have all witnessed our ability to fight back threats and secure what we need, I am feeling more confident than ever about our work.
Hoping that everyone has a great summer ahead, and that we can see as many of you as possible this summer in D.C. for the National Conference on Ending Homelessness and Capitol Hill Day!
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