Whereas housing is a basic human right; Whereas evidence-based research has shown that families with safe, decent, and affordable homes are better able to find employment, achieve economic mobility, perform better in school, and maintain improved health; Whereas investing in affordable housing strengthens our economy, creates jobs, boosts families’ incomes, and encourages further development; Whereas far too many families living in urban, suburban, and rural communities struggle to afford their rent each month, putting them at increased risk of eviction and homelessness; Whereas according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) point-in-time count of 2016, there were 549,928 people in the United States experiencing homelessness on any given night, including over 120,000 children; Whereas homelessness has become so pervasive that some States and cities have declared that homelessness has reached a state of emergency; Whereas major progress towards the national goals for ending homelessness in our Nation has stalled in the absence of increased funding; Whereas a shortage of affordable housing exists in every State and major metropolitan area; Whereas a full-time worker earning the Federal minimum wage cannot afford a modest two-bedroom apartment in any State, metropolitan area, or county in the United States; Whereas over half of all renters are cost-burdened, paying more than 30 percent of their income for housing, and 71 percent of extremely low-income households are severely cost-burdened, paying more than half of their income for housing; Whereas rapidly rising rents across the country have pushed many long-time residents and families out of the communities they call home; Whereas closed waiting lists and long waits mean only a quarter of the families who qualify for housing assistance actually receive it; Whereas the role of Federal affordable housing investments is even more important given the limited ability of the private market alone to address these needs