Local builders of self-help housing have used the SHOP program very successfully to build more than 25,400 affordable ho
April xx, 2014 The Honorable Tom Latham Chairman Subcommittee on Transportation, HUD and Related Agencies House Committee on Appropriations Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Ed Pastor Ranking Member Subcommittee on Transportation, HUD and Related Agencies House Committee on Appropriations Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman Latham and Ranking Member Pastor: We the undersigned encourage you to ensure that HUD is doing its part for rural America by funding three very small HUD programs at the following levels: · $20 million for the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP), the same as in your FY2014 bill. · $6 million for the rural capacity building program, $1 million more than your FY2014 bill. Thank you for supporting these programs in your past bills. Local builders of self-help housing have used the SHOP program very successfully to build more than 25,400 affordable homes using sweat equity. SHOP helps hard working low- and moderate-income families achieve the American dream of homeownership. SHOP funds go to a network of several hundred community-based nonprofits through Habitat for Humanity, the Housing Assistance Council (HAC), Community Frameworks, and Tierra del Sol to help working low-income families build their own homes. SHOP funds go only to nonprofits and pay only for land and infrastructure costs, some of the most difficult items for us to finance. SHOP also leverages large amounts of other private and public resources, not just in dollars, but in up to 1,500 hours of sweat equity per home contributed by the first-time home buying and building families. The competitive HUD rural capacity building program allows national organizations to provide a wide range of help to local rural housing nonprofits and others to develop or preserve affordable homes. This program works nationwide -- providing training, information, technical assistance, and financing -- to serve the neediest rural communities and to reach where no other national capacity groups are present. Providing sufficient appropriations for these capacity building and financial assistance programs will leverage millions of additional dollars and improve the quality of life rural America. Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to working with you to ensure that our nation’s rural housing needs are appropriately met. Sincerely,
