Advocacy Alert: While there is still the time and the need!
Urge Congress to Support Delivery of Social Services in COVID-19 Response
March 24, 2020
Congressional leaders are finalizing a legislative response to the coronavirus pandemic, with the goal of wrapping up the bill over the coming hours and days. This is possibly our last opportunity to influence this bill and ensure desperately needed resources for persons experiencing homelessness or struggling to retain stable housing. We must also encourage Congressional leaders to validate the work of those at the front lines of the pandemic response by granting necessary emergency aid to social service organizations
Contact your US Senators and US Congressional Representatives with the following messages:
Ensure Appropriate Resources for All Community Members:
- Increase funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program from the existing FY 2020 $125 million to $250 million to help people experiencing dire poverty to obtain rental and utility assistance and food aid.
- Temporarily increase the maximum SNAP benefit by 15% to respond to increased demand for food assistance.
- Authorize $15.5 billion in Emergency Solutions Grants to prevent an outbreak among people experiencing homelessness and to practice social distancing in shelters.
- Include tens of billions of dollars for emergency rental assistance to help keep low-income people stably housed and avoid evictions and, in worst cases, homelessness.
- Establish a national moratorium on evictions and foreclosures for homeowners and renters.
Provide Emergency Relief to Social Service Providers:
- Expressly provide charitable nonprofits with $60B in any emergency funding. A rapid infusion of cash will support organizations serving immediate needs in communities facing lost and declining revenue due to the pandemic.
- Create a robust universal charitable deduction and allow taxpayers to immediately claim the deduction on their 2019 taxes (due on July 15), and afterward through 2021.
- Clarify that charitable nonprofits of all sizes are able to participate in the emergency Small Business Loan program by using the tax-law definition of charitable organizations [Sec. 501(c)(3) public charities].
To find contact information for your Federal Legislators, enter your home address on this website.
Please provide Catholic Charities Government Relations staff with feedback regarding any conversations that you have: (312) 655-7930 or agreleck@catholiccharities.net.