"Hello. My name is [name]. I am calling with a message for [Chairman Collins OR Ranking Member Reed] about the coronavirus relief bill.

[Optional/If applicable: I am the [role] at [organization] in [location].]

I am calling to voice my support for a comprehensive housing package in the next coronavirus bill. 

I urge you to include a comprehensive housing package that includes the following: 

• $100 billion for investments in emergency rental assistance to keep people in their homes and prevent homelessness, 
• $26 billion (or at least $10 billion) for housing choice vouchers to help households who need more than temporary assistance to remain stably housed,
• And $11.5 billion in homeless assistance to supplement the $4 billion that was appropriated through the CARES Act to respond to and prevent outbreaks among people experiencing homelessness.

[Here you might add a sentence or two about why this issue is important to you personally and/or professionally.]

You may reach me at [phone number]. I am a resident of [state] and my zip code is [home zip code].

Thank you for your time."

Please click here to view a printable version of the script and other drafted language.

• Each of these pots of money addresses specific housing challenges being faced in communities across the country.
• The needs of people experiencing homelessness cannot be left out of the conversation.
• These funds must specifically be targeted to marginalized populations that are hardest hit by the pandemic, including Black, Latinx, Native people and people living with disabilities.
• As some states are re-implementing stay-at-home orders due to increasing cases, hospitalizations, and death rates, it is important to recognize that those experiencing homelessness or housing instability do not have a home to stay in, making the need for a comprehensive housing package that much more critical.
• For people experiencing homelessness, housing is healthcare! 

• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: “Pandemic Relief Must Include Comprehensive Housing Assistance for People Experiencing the Most Severe Hardship”
• National Low Income Housing Coalition: “Responding to Coronavirus: Ensuring Housing Stability During A Crisis”
• National Alliance to End Homelessness: “Estimated Emergency and Observational/Quarantine Bed Need for the US Homeless Population Related to COVID-19 Exposure by County; Projected Hospitalizations, Intensive Care Units and Mortality”