After a national lawsuit, dozens of direct actions, online petitions, op-eds and ceaseless pressure we are pleased to report that Right to the City alliance (RTTC) Homes For All campaign, of which we are a part, finally won funding to the National Housing Trust Fund! 

Mel Watt, the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), announced his directive last week for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to contribute to the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) and the Capital Magnet Fund (CMF).

This will be the first new money to low income rental housing in decades and the National Housing Trust Fund is the only fund at the federal level designated for the creation of truly affordable housing for extremely low income families. 


As U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro stated:  “Affordable housing is about opportunity…This effort will assist individuals from all backgrounds—including low-income families and those experiencing homelessness—in building better lives. “

Danielle Stelluto, plaintiff in our lawsuit and member of Picture the Homeless exclaimed:
”I pray day and night that there can be housing for all and now we are one huge step closer to making that manifest….When children are being punished and deprived a real home, something is terribly wrong and unjust….We won’t stop standing up for our human rights until there is real affordable housing for everybody.” 



It took years to force Ed DeMarco out, the former Acting FHFA Director, the man who single handedly prohibited all contributions.  It then took another year to pressure his replacement, Mel Watt, to do the right thing, but together, we made this happen and together we will see this initial victory through to the creation of truly affordable housing in our communities.

This victory reminds us that persistence and strong collaborative efforts ultimately lead to progress and our commitment to stay the course over these many years is a testament to the power of a just cause.

Read more about this historic victory here. 


We who believe in freedom will not rest until it’s won. 
Thank you and enjoy the holidays.

Sincerely,

The Homes For All campaign of Right To The City Alliance