{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://patryan.house.gov/media/press-releases/amid-community-wide-effort-bipartisan-congressmen-pat-ryan-and-mike-lawler", "AMID COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT, BIPARTISAN CONGRESSMEN PAT RYAN AND MIKE LAWLER DEMAND HUD SECRETARY DISBURSE COC FUNDS; ENSURE THAT HUDSON VALLEY FAMILIES AND VETERANS STAY HOUSED", "2025-12-18", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "NY", "Patrick Ryan", "R000579", "patryan.house.gov", "patryan", "https://patryan.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Supportive housing organizations in the region play a critical role in keeping families, seniors, and veterans housed. Recently, HUD notified these organizations of mid-cycle changes to program eligibility, creating potential delays for funds that Congress has already approved through 2026.\n\nHudson Valley housing nonprofits sounded the alarm on the funding changes, stating their residents faced a \u201creturn to homelessness\u201d and total \u201cchaos and uncertainty\u201d due to the abrupt policy changes\n\nMultiple states, including New York, sued HUD over the initial notice, which the agency subsequently rescinded. HUD has indicated it may reissue a proposal after making modifications, creating continued uncertainty for program administrators.\n\nCongressmen Ryan and Lawler are calling on HUD to provide clear guidance and ensure that allocated funds continue to flow uninterrupted. These funds are administered locally through HUD\u2019s Continuum of Care (CoC) program, which is designed to provide predictable, multi-year support so housing providers can maintain stability for families, seniors, and veterans.\n\nWASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, Congressmen Pat Ryan (D-NY-18) and Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) called on the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to ensure that funding already appropriated by Congress is distributed promptly to supportive housing organizations across the Hudson Valley.\n\nSupportive housing organizations in the region play a critical role in keeping families, seniors, and veterans housed. Recently, HUD notified these organizations of mid-cycle changes to program eligibility, creating potential delays for funds that Congress has already approved through 2026.\n\nHudson Valley housing nonprofits sounded the alarm on the funding changes, stating their residents faced a \u201creturn to homelessness\u201d and total \u201cchaos and uncertainty\u201d due to the abrupt policy changes.\n\nMultiple states, including New York, sued HUD over the initial notice, which the agency subsequently rescinded. HUD has indicated it may reissue a proposal after making modifications, creating continued uncertainty for program administrators.\n\nCongressmen Ryan and Lawler are calling on HUD to provide clear guidance and ensure that allocated funds continue to flow uninterrupted. These funds are administered locally through HUD\u2019s Continuum of Care (CoC) program, which is designed to provide predictable, multi-year support so housing providers can maintain stability for families, seniors, and veterans.\n\n\u201cKeeping Hudson Valley kids, families, seniors and veterans in their homes isn\u2019t a partisan issue \u2013 it\u2019s a fundamental question of who we are as a country. I know the country I risked my life to defend wouldn\u2019t kick kids and veterans out of their homes,\u201d said Congressman Pat Ryan. \u201cNobody in our community deserves to have the rug pulled out from under them. We\u2019re rallying our communities and people on the frontlines of the housing crisis with a clear, strong message: do not leave Hudson Valley families out in the cold. Provide the funding that has already been promised. Do not make program changes at the expense of children staying warm this winter. We need everyone in the community to raise their voices and join the fight. Our Hudson Valley community cannot and will not let this stand.\u201d\n\n\u201cHousing is a basic human need, and when the federal government fails to deliver on funds that Congress has already allocated, it puts lives at risk. The residents of the Hudson Valley, including those in supportive housing, deserve stability, not uncertainty. We cannot allow policy changes to jeopardize the homes and security of families in our district. HUD must fulfill its obligations and ensure the necessary funding continues to flow to those who need it most,\u201d said Congressman Mike Lawler.\n\n\u201cAs the judge hearing the legal challenges to HUD\u2019s NOFO noted when the plan was suddenly withdrawn at the last minute, this feels like \u2018intentional chaos,\u2019\u201d said Michelle Sandoz-Dennis, CEO of CARES of New York, Inc. \u201cThis is not a partisan issue. HUD\u2019s actions are destabilizing the lives of real families and individuals whose health and safety are at risk, and we urge members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to work to restore funding stability and protect vulnerable communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf this funding disappears, vulnerable families with profoundly disabled children and chronically homeless adults will face immediate housing instability,\u201d said Michael Berg, Executive Director of Family of Woodstock, Inc. \u201cBipartisan engagement from Congress is essential to ensure programs proven to reduce chronic homelessness are not dismantled.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf secure CoC funding is not restored, we will have no choice but to increase rents and reduce staffing,\u201d said Christa Hines, CEO of Hudson River Housing. \u201cCongressional collaboration is critical to guarantee the services that help our residents remain employed and working towards greater independence.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe need lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to work together to safeguard housing stability,\u201d said Mike Erwin, LCSW-R, CASAC, Program Director of Permanent Supportive Housing at Mental Health America of Dutchess County. \u201cWhen these programs are thrown into uncertainty, it destabilizes residents\u2019 health, safety, and recovery.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe lack of clarity around housing awards and contract renewals has left us in an untenable position,\u201d said Chris Molinelli, Executive Director of HONOR. \u201cWe are being asked to overhaul critical programs without knowing whether the new funding structure will adequately support those already housed. This is a nonpartisan issue that demands clear, bipartisan action from Congress to ensure continuity of care.\u201d\n\n\u201cCuts to HUD Continuum of Care funding for permanent housing will increase homelessness across the entire community. People will remain in shelters longer, emergency systems will become overwhelmed, and more individuals and families will cycle in and out of homelessness. In Rockland County, where affordable housing and shelter capacity are already limited, even modest reductions in permanent housing funding can lead to higher shelter utilization, longer lengths of stay, and increased pressure on healthcare, education, and public safety systems. Victims and survivors of domestic violence need consistency, safety, and long-term housing options\u2014not uncertainty driven by shifting federal guidance Twelve-month renewal language is critical to maintaining continuity of care and ensuring that life-saving housing programs remain intact. We know that Congressman Mike Lawler understands the importance of continuing to support victims and survivors by opposing this cap, and we urge him to continue this leadership and work with his colleagues to ensure others join him in opposing policies that would reduce housing options for victims and survivors of domestic violence,\u201d said Elizabeth Santiago, CEO of the Center for Safety & Change.\n\nCongressman Ryan introduced his \u201cAffordability Agenda\u201d as his first legislation of the new Congress. The plan elevates an all-hands-on-deck approach to tackling the affordability crisis head-on, and includes the Congressman\u2019s comprehensive Bold Housing Agenda aimed specifically at bringing down the cost of housing and improving housing accessibility. The bills included in the agenda are:\n\nThe Working Families Housing Tax Credit Act incentivizes developers to build more equitable housing by authorizing below market rate loans and creating a new tax credit for developers building affordable housing utilizing union labor.\n\nThe PRO Housing Act provides funding for municipalities to convert or rehab existing housing, commercial spaces, and industrial centers in addition to \u201cfrom scratch\u201d developments. There will also be an emphasis placed on building near transit centers, and the establishment of a pilot program for the General Services Administration (GSA) to transfer unused federal land for development; thus eliminating government waste and increasing housing options.\n\nThe Deliver Housing Now Act cuts through the bureaucratic red tape to allow municipalities to use federal dollars according to local priorities. If passed it would allow municipalities to utilize federal dollars in whichever category of housing is most impactful to the people they serve.\n\nThe Mortgage Rate Reduction Act simplifies the federal loan assumption process, so that more than 11.3 million houses financed at lower interest rates through VA, USDA, or FHA loans are available to home-buyers.\n\nRyan has consistently pushed back against harmful policies from Trump\u2019s HUD. Earlier this year, following reports that massive cuts at the Department would put Hudson Valley families \u2013 including veterans \u2013 on the street, Ryan rallied the local community and got the majority of funds restored.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://patryan.house.gov/media/press-releases/amid-community-wide-effort-bipartisan-congressmen-pat-ryan-and-mike-lawler"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.468729857355356, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}