President Obama released his proposed FY13 budget on February 13, with increased funding for homelessness programs and a mix of funding reductions and increases for other affordable housing, community development and social service programs.  Some highlights of the President’s budget proposal:

Rental Assistance

• For Tenant Based Rental Assistance, the President proposes $19.1 billion, a 0.8% increase from FY12.  In this category, the President’s budget increases the amount budgeted for Administrative Fees to $1.575 billion, up 16.7% from the FY12 Enacted amount of $1.35 billion. However, funding for Sect 811 Mainstream vouchers would be slightly reduced to $111 million from $112 million in FY12.
• The Administration’s proposed 6.9% reduction in Project-Based rental Assistance funding to $8.7 billion has alarmed the National Low Income Housing Coalition. 

Public Housing

• The Administration proposes increases to both the Public Housing Capital Fund – $2.07 billion, a 10.4% increase from FY12 - and the Public Housing Operating Fund - $4.5 billion, a 14.2% increase from FY12.

Housing & Community Development

• The proposed budget includes an increase of $30 million in funding for the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, up to $150 million in FY13.
• Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) funds would receive a marginal cut of 0.6%, going down to $330 million.
• The overall funding for the Community Development Fund would be cut again in FY13, by 5.0% to $3.143 billion. Community Development Block Grant Formula funding would remain the same as was enacted in FY12 at $2.95 billion, a 11.6% reduction from FY11.  However, the Administration proposes funding for the Sustainable Communities Initiative at $100 million, after no funding for the program in FY12.
• Like CDBG, the HOME Investment Partnership Program would be flat funded, remaining at $1 billion in FY13, a 37% reduction in funding from FY11 levels.
• While the Section 202 Housing for the Elderly program would receive an increase of 26.7% to $475 million in FY13, the Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities program would be cut to $150 million, a 50% reduction in the funding the program was receiving in FY10 and a 9.1% reduction from FY12.   

Fair Housing & Housing Counseling

• The Administration proposes increasing the funding for Housing Counseling Assistance to $55 million, a 22.2% increase from the $45 million in funding enacted in FY12.
• However, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity would face a 4.2 % reduction, going from $71 million in FY12 to $68 million in FY13.

Homelessness

• Under the Administration’s proposal, HUD's Homelessness Assistance Grants funding would increase by 17.4% to $2.231 billion.
• HHS’ Health Care for the Homeless program would increase to $258 million, up 11.2 % from FY12.

Veterans

• HUD Veterans Supportive Housing Vouchers (HUD-VASH) would be flat funded at $75 million.
• VA funding for Veterans Homelessness Programs would increase by 32.7% to $1.35 billion. Case management for HUD-VASH would increase by 21.3% to $245 million.
• Supportive Services for Homeless Veterans would increase by 200%, going from $100 million in FY12 to $300 million in FY13.
• DOL’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program would remain flat funded at $38 million.

Many of the programs on the service side are flat funded under the Administration’s FY13 proposed budget, including:

• HHS - Community Health Centers - $1.47 billion (discretionary, mandatory funding under the Affordable Car Act would increase by 25% to $1.5 billion)
• HHS - Runaway and Homeless Youth Act - $115 million
• HHS - Mental Health Block Grant - $439 million
• HHS- Substance Abuse Block Grant - $1.38 billion
• HHS - SAMHSA - $75 million
• DOE – Education for Homeless Children and Youth - $65 million

Other programs of note:

• Funding for HHS’ Community Services Block Grant program would receive a significant cut of 48.3%, dropping to $350 million.
• LIHEAP would be cut by 13.2%, down to $3.02 billion.

The entire FY13 Budget Proposal is available here. A more detailed version of the HUD budget is available here.

Click here for a comparison chart compiled by the National Low Income Housing Coalition and here for one by the National Alliance to End Homelessness.