U.S. bishops urge Congress to boost housing funds as homelessness surges

“Current federal investments in housing programs do not meet the great need we see in our country,” said a joint letter by the bishops and leaders of two Catholic charitable groups.

U.S. Catholic bishops are calling on Congress to allocate the maximum possible funding for housing programs in the 2027 appropriations bill, citing “an alarming rise in homelessness.”

“Current federal investments in housing programs do not meet the great need we see in our country,” Archbishop Shelton Fabre of Louisville, Kentucky; Catholic Charities USA CEO Kerry Alys Robinson; and National Council of the U.S. Society of St. Vincent de Paul President John Berry said in a May 21 joint letter to Congress. “Ultimately, we urge you to provide the highest level of funding possible for housing and community development programs serving families and individuals who are poor and vulnerable.”

Fabre serves as chair of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

The letter comes amid proposed cuts to federal funding for housing programs from $84.2 billion to $73.5 billion for fiscal 2027.

Citing the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2024, the letter pointed out that homelessness is at its “highest recorded levels for both individuals and also families with children.”

HUD has yet to release legally-required data for 2025.

The letter also cited data from 2025 showing that more families and individuals than ever before are spending more than 30% of their income on housing and that “only 1 out of every 4 income-eligible households receives housing assistance.”

The letter specifically called for “robust funding” for a wide range of programs, including Section 8 housing, housing programs for the elderly, the HOME Investment Partnership Program, homelessness assistance grants through the Continuum of Care Program, and housing counseling centers.

The letter called for protections for faith-based shelters and organizations, “to enable these groups to continue to serve people in need without forcing them to violate their beliefs or compromise the safety of their clients.”

“The Catholic Church, through all its ministries, is one of the largest private providers of housing services for poor and vulnerable people in the country,” the letter said. “We serve as many as we can; however, we lack the resources to assist all our brothers and sisters in need.”

The letter noted that in 2025 despite providing over 196,000 people access to housing and offering homeless-related services to over 719,000 individuals, the Catholic Charities network has 73,000 families on waiting lists for housing.

“Considering such widespread, unmet need, it is clear that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) needs more resources,” the letter said.