Congressman Rob Menendez Cosponsors Critical Bills to Tackle the Housing Affordability Crisis

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Rob Menendez (NJ-08) co-sponsored the Housing Crisis Response Act and the Ending Homelessness Act, both led by Ranking Member, Maxine Waters (CA-13) of the Committee on Financial Services. These bills would significantly reduce housing insecurity and poverty in America by investing $150 billion in federal funding to address the housing crisis, turning the Housing Choice Voucher program into a federal entitlement, and banning housing discrimination based on source of income and veteran status.

“Access to safe, affordable housing is a fundamental human right, yet too many families in our district and across the country struggle to access fair and affordable housing,” said Congressman Menendez. “By cosponsoring these crucial bills, I am standing strong in the fight to provide meaningful solutions for communities struggling amid our country’s housing crisis and ensure that every person has access to safe and quality living conditions.”

“Bridges Outreach, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending homelessness, was delighted to welcome Congressman Menendez during his visit to our Newark office on April 2nd. Last fall, we worked closely with Mayor Ras Baraka's initiative to end homelessness, resulting in a 57.6% reduction in street homelessness. Congressman Menendez's support for both bills will significantly contribute to our efforts to end homelessness and ensure that homelessness in the future is rare and short-term,” said Bridges President Richard Uniacke. “We are grateful for Congressman Menendez's support of these important legislative initiatives.”

“On behalf of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, I applaud Congressman Menendez for supporting critical legislation, including the Ending Homelessness Act and Housing Crisis Response Act, to address the underlying causes of our nation's housing and homelessness crisis: the severe shortage of homes affordable to households with the lowest incomes and the wide gap between incomes and housing costs,” stated Diane Yentel, President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “More than ever, bold policies are needed to ensure that people with the greatest needs have a stable, affordable home. We look forward to working with Representative Menendez and other leaders in Congress to expand federal investments in proven solutions to the scale needed to solve America's housing and homelessness crisis."

“Ending homelessness, closing the racial wealth gap, and making NJ a place everyone can afford to call home are goals we can strive towards with bold policies and investments like the Ending Homelessness Act of 2023 and Housing Crisis Response Act of 2023,” said Staci Berger, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Housing and Community Development Network and board member of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “We thank Rep. Menendez for taking the lead in NJ and endorsing these important pieces of legislation. We encourage other members of the NJ’s Congressional delegation to also sign so we can help HouseNJ.”

The Housing Crisis Response Act, H.R. 4233, would allocate over $150 billion in critical investments to support public housing, preserve affordable homes, and expand homeownership opportunities, marking the largest investment in affordable housing in U.S. history.

The Ending Homelessness Act, H.R. 4232, would expand and transform the Housing Choice Voucher program into a federal entitlement, prohibit discrimination based on income source and veteran status, and allocate funding toward creating permanent affordable housing.