Mayor Smiley Joins Fellow Mayors in Washington D.C. to Fight for Federal Solutions to Housing and Homelessness Crisis
Nearly 50 Mayors Hold Press Conference in D.C to Push for Housing Solutions
PROVIDENCE, RI— Mayor Brett P. Smiley will today join nearly fifty fellow mayors as part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) in a press conference in Washington, D.C. to advocate for federal solutions to the housing and homelessness crisis affecting cities across the country. The delegation has been meeting with federal leaders and members of Congress as part of a two-day fly-in to discuss long-term solutions through a federal and local partnership.
“The challenges posed by the housing crisis demand innovative solutions and strong partnerships with our federal and Congressional leaders,” said Mayor Brett Smiley. “Our residents need both immediate supports and long-term solutions to incentive the development of affordable housing and address the ongoing homelessness crisis. I’m proud to join my fellow mayors in advocating for a federal and local partnership to address the housing crisis we are experiencing head-on.”
Led by USCM President Reno (NV) Mayor Hillary Schieve and Los Angeles (CA) Mayor Karen Bass, Chair of the USCM’s Homelessness Task Force, the delegation discussed the reality of the housing crisis in each of their own cities and worked to strengthen the federal-city partnership to address homelessness and affordable housing.
This week Mayor Smiley and others have met with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis R. McDonough, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young and Domestic Policy Advisor to President Biden, Neera Tanden. They also met with numerous Congressional leaders. Together, they discussed the need for more housing choice vouchers to meet the increased needs of communities. The mayors advocated for increased funding for housing choice vouchers and an increase to the cap for project-based vouchers. The delegation also pushed to expand veteran eligibility for housing vouchers so that veterans don’t have to choose between their benefits and housing eligibility.
