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The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) is holding its 2026 Capitol Hill Day on July 9th in Washington, D.C. Housing advocates from across the nation will be meeting with their Congressional representatives to educate them on housing policy needs and encourage them to protect critical funding for programs that work to eliminate homelessness. The Virginia Housing Alliance will be there, facilitating Hill Day meetings for attendees from Virginia – and we need your support!
For those who cannot be there to advocate in person with us, we invite you to join us over email. You can help us reinforce NAEH’s key messaging by contacting your Congressional representatives this week to request their support for evidence-based solutions to prevent and end homelessness – these are the federal funding priorities we’re fighting for.
The ask: Invest $5.1B in the Homeless Assistance Grants program.
What it does: This would help to protect local homelessness funding.
Why it matters: This money would allow us to renew funding for at least 85% of community homelessness assistance projects and better respond to unsheltered homelessness among exceptionally vulnerable populations (including children, youth, domestic violence survivors, and individuals with behavioral health support needs). The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) has recently proposed changes to the Continuum of Care program that would only renew about 60% of existing projects serving people exiting homelessness – thus threatening the homes of at least 1,129 formerly-unhoused Virginians.
The ask: Set aside $45.6B for HUD’s tenant-based rental assistance programs.
What it does: This would cover the cost of renewing current rental assistance, as well as adding new incremental vouchers to meet the growing demand.
Why it matters: This funding is crucial to decreasing the cost burden for the 77% of extremely low-income renters in Virginia who spend more than half of their monthly income on housing expenses.
The ask: Provide $1.85B to expand housing opportunities for older adults at risk of experiencing homelessness.
What it does: This money would provide targeted funding for the Section 202 Program, which serves seniors who are experiencing (or at risk of experiencing) homelessness.
Why it matters: This funding is critical to supporting our aging residents – especially as older adults are the fastest growing demographic among people experiencing homelessness in Virginia.
Take Action Today!
It takes less than 30 seconds to reach out to your Congressional representatives using our easy Call to Action Form! We also encourage you to share this advocacy opportunity with others in your network and community.
Additional Resources
For more messaging tools and further information, please check out these resources from the National Alliance to End Homelessness: