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COSCDA Advocacy Priorities

COSCDA advocates for the common community development goals of state agencies. We act as a liaison between our members, Congress, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and related federal agencies on a host of programmatic and regulatory issues. It is COSCDA’s foundational premise that a collaborative approach between states, local communities, and the federal government is vital to the effective administration of these core infrastructure programs and ultimately to the vitality of communities across this nation. COSCDA’s advocacy priorities focus on improvements to:

Program Funding | Community Development | Housing | Disaster Recovery | Homelessness

COSCDA thanks HUD and Congress for their continued investment in community development programs. We stand ready to advance the priorities below in partnership with the Trump-Vance Administration and congressional leadership. Please direct any questions to Jenna Hampton ([email protected]), Director of Advocacy and Federal Programs.

Funding Priorities

Program (in millions)	FY24 Enacted	FY25 Enacted*	FY26 Request**
Community Development Block Grant	$3,300	TBD	$4,200
HOME Investment Partnerships Program	$1,250	TBD	$2,100
Homeless Assistance Grant	$4,051	TBD	$4,750
Emergency Solutions Grant (subaccount of HAGs)	$290	TBD	*$400*
HUD Office of Community Planning & Development	$168.5	TBD	$180

*COSCDA will update this funding chart after Congress approves FY25 appropriations.

**COSCDA may update FY26 funding requests early in 2025, in response to final FY25 funding and the Trump Administration’s FY26 budget request.

General Funding Request: Enhance information collection and reporting through targeted resources to the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Community Planning and Development’s (CPD) IT development.
General Funding Request: Provide annual funding for planning and initial disaster recovery activities.
General Funding Request: Establish a 30% non-entitlement set aside under the Pathways to Removing Obstacles (PRO) Housing grant program.

Cross-Cutting Priorities

Request for HUD: Promote streamlined administration of federal compliance standards, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Request for Congress and HUD: Provide Build America, Buy America (BABA) exemptions and waivers to HUD programs to ensure continued progress on creating infrastructure and housing supply.
Request for Congress and HUD: Evaluate the effectiveness of Davis-Bacon and Section 3 requirements on labor outcomes and provide administrative relief where possible.
Request for HUD: Clearly communicate what is required from state agencies regarding the implementation of Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH).

Community Development Priorities

Request for Congress: Improve the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to leverage federal investment in local communities.
Request for Congress and HUD: Preserve CDBG’s role as a critical financing tool for community growth and economic outcomes.

Housing Priorities

Request for Congress: Improve the HOME Investment Partnerships Program to enhance housing supply and improve program administration.
Request for Congress: Preserve the Housing Trust Fund to help fill the affordable housing supply gap for the lowest income populations.
Request for Congress: Advance improvements and expansions to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to spur affordable housing development.

Disaster Recovery Priorities

Request for Congress: Permanently authorize and improve the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program to expedite effective disaster recovery.
Request for HUD: Improve data accessibility and exchange for timely disaster response and recovery.
Request for Congress and HUD: Expand FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) to direct more meaningful, encompassing, and immediate support to disaster survivors.
Request for Congress and HUD: Expand administrative waivers to improve planning and address gaps in disaster response.

Homelessness Priorities

Request for HUD: Increase flexibility for Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding to support emergency shelters and housing placements.
Request for HUD: Integrate homelessness data with related supportive services information.
Request for HUD: Incentivize and promote coordination between Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) and Continuums of Care (CoCs).
Request for Congress: Authorize proven Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) waivers and flexibilities to create a more efficient program.