Human Services News

Housing Assistance Council:

A proposed Rural Housing Stability Assistance program could help address homelessness in rural America, the director of a prominent rural housing organization told Senators at a hearing today.

"Homeless people in rural areas typically experience precarious housing conditions," said Moises Loza, executive director of the Housing Assistance Council, "moving from one extremely substandard, overcrowded, and/or cost-burdened housing situation to another, often doubling or tripling up with friends or family."

Far fewer homeless people live outdoors in rural places than on city streets, Loza added, and their relative invisibility contributes to the scarcity of services in rural areas.

To meet rural needs, Loza testified, the Housing Assistance Council supports the addition of the Rural Housing Stability Assistance program to the Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act, which would provide federal government aid for homeless people nationwide.

Finally, it would allow community groups to use a portion of their funding for capacity building: staff training, equipment purchases, and the like.

"As an intermediary organization for 36 years," Loza testified, "HAC has seen repeatedly that strengthening the capabilities of local rural housing organizations can provide immense benefits to rural communities."

In short, he said, the new program would enable local rural housing organizations to "both address and prevent homelessness in their communities."

A national nonprofit corporation headquartered in Washington, D.C., and founded in 1971, the Housing Assistance Council helps local organizations build affordable homes in rural America by providing below-market financing, technical assistance, research, training, and information services.

HAC's programs focus on local solutions, empowerment, reduced dependency, and self-help strategies.