Recap 2026 NLIHC Housing Policy Forum
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The campaign hosted a panel, “Immigrant Advocates are Housing Advocates: The State of Immigration Rights and Housing Justice,” at the 2026 NLIHC Housing Policy Forum. The panel focused on the connections between immigration and affordable housing, best practices for prioritizing safety in political advocacy, messaging to counter anti-immigrant sentiments, and strategies for advocates to further safe, accessible, and affordable housing for all.
The panel opened with remarks from Chantelle Wilkinson, NLIHC Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Campaigns, followed by remarks from Victoria Morales, Executive Director, and Lucas Schrage, Director of Housing, at Project Home. Moderated by Julie Walker, campaign Project Manager, the panelists included:
- Sarah Krieger, Senior Policy Counsel at the National Immigration Law Center
- Adriana Cadena, Executive Director of the Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition
- Foluke Akanni, Housing Policy Organizer at Housing Action Illinois
- Sosseh Prom, National Housing Justice Director at African Communities Together
The Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition is a campaign Roundtable member, and Housing Action Illinois is a State Partner.
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Take action to oppose HUD’s Mixed-Status Rule:
- Submit your public comment using the prompts listed on the Take Action section of the Keep Families Together website by April 21!
- The website includes prompts for specific communities, including children, families, Latino, Black, and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
- Sign your organization to a comment letter led by the Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition by April 20!
- The comment letter summarizes how the proposed rule punishes U.S. citizens, while doing nothing to increase the availability of affordable housing.
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HUD Proposed Rulemaking on Time Limits and Work Requirements Would Impact Assisted Families and Local Agencies
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On March 2, HUD proposed allowing public housing agencies (PHAs) and HUD-assisted owners to impose work requirements and time limits on assisted families. If implemented, such policies are expected to have negative impacts on HUD-assisted households. For example, a recent CBPP analysis found that a 2-year time limit on assistance would result in an estimated 3.3 million people losing their rental assistance, including 1.7 million children.
This rule would also impact local control, as it would open the door for states to impose an unfunded mandate on local housing agencies and providers. While this rule is billed as offering flexibility to local PHAs, states could pass legislation to preempt PHAs one way or the other, either requiring them to impose strict time limits/work reporting or preventing them from doing so. Arkansas and Wisconsin have preemption laws already, and California and Illinois are considering them.
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Take action to oppose work requirements and time limits proposed rule:
- Submit your public comment urging HUD to withdraw the proposed rule by May 1.
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Thrive From the Start Webinar Recap
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Campaign Roundtable members Zero to Three, Housing Is, and School House Connection held a webinar, “Thrive From the Start: Coming Together to Address Infant & Toddler Homelessness,” introducing the Thrive From the Start network on March 5th. Thrive From the Start is a multisector campaign led by Housing Is, the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers, Prevent Child Abuse America, SchoolHouse Connection, and Zero to Three. The campaign is dedicated to ensuring all expectant parents, infants, toddlers, and their families have the resources and opportunities to thrive. The webinar covered the importance of safe, stable housing for childhood wellbeing and development, the Thrive From the Start policy agenda, state capacity-building initiatives, and opportunities for organizations and individuals to get involved in the campaign.
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Policies to Support College Students Experiencing Homelessness
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| SchoolHouse Connection, a campaign Roundtable member, released a new policy brief, “Removing Barriers, Building Futures: Data-Informed Policies to Support College Students Experiencing Homelessness,” analyzing data from the Trellis Strategies Fall 2024 Student Financial Wellness Survey to understand the impact of homelessness on college students. The data demonstrate that college students who have experienced homelessness face greater hardships and barriers to continued enrollment than their peers. The brief outlines key findings on the current state of postsecondary student homelessness, along with institutional, state, and federal strategies to address housing insecurity among college students. |
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| Are you a part of a national organization interested in cross-sector partnership? Join representatives from over 130 multi-sector organizations, including housing, education, healthcare, civil rights, anti-poverty, seniors, faith-based, anti-hunger, veterans, LGBTQIA+, and more on the campaign’s Roundtable. If you are interested in the Roundtable, please fill out our interest form and and feel free to share it with other national organizations that may want to get involved. |
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Fact of the Month: Food insecurity is far more common among college students experiencing homelessness.
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