Advocate for Your District

Congress is making important decisions right now that directly affect your district’s ability to fight homelessness and keep downtowns thriving. The resources below will help you take action from details on how to contact your elected officials or sharing key facts with your community. Use the expandable sections to access sample emails, find your representatives and learn more about these critical issues.

IDA and its allies are working to enact tax incentives that would convert unused office space into affordable housing and other uses to empower and uplift downtowns. Thanks to our efforts, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act last year. The bill has significant backing from public and industry groups but needs more support to move forward. The next phases to watch include committee discussions, potential revisions and a full Congressional vote.

All members of Congress need to hear about this bill. Please consider sending a message to your elected representatives to ask them to cosponsor it.

SAMPLE EMAIL:

Every member of Congress has a link on their website that lets you send messages to them. If you know the name of one of their staff members, you can email them directly.

Below is a sample message you can send, or you can write your own. Either way, highlight your connection to the state or Congressional district.

Dear [Rep./Sen.],

I am writing on behalf of [UPMO name] to ask you to cosponsor legislation that will help restore vitality to our downtown while addressing the crisis in affordable housing.

According to recent statistics, the United States faces a shortage of almost 5 million homes. The lack of supply is driving up costs: home prices have risen by more than 50 percent since the pandemic and rental prices have risen by 35 percent.

At the same time, many downtowns and main streets face an oversupply of commercial space. The trend towards remote working that started with the pandemic has not abated, even as many employers institute return-to-office mandates.

The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that 20–25 percent of the workforce could work remotely in the future, four to five times more than before the pandemic. According to the International Downtown Association’s (IDA) 2026 Trends Report, office occupancy is at 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels. As workers leave commercial centers, the shrinking demand for office space results not only in lost tax revenue for municipal budgets; it will threaten the livelihoods of small business owners that depend on the daily flow of office workers.

[ADD/REPLACE WITH ANY LOCAL-SPECIFIC DATA]

Converting unused commercial space like office buildings and shopping malls into housing helps address both issues. It adds to the nation’s supply of housing. It provides opportunities for families to live closer to the amenities they need and reduce traffic. And it ensures that traditional commercial districts remain vibrant centers of community activity and economic development. But converting empty commercial space is costly, which makes it prohibitive in all but a few circumstances.

That’s why we support the Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act, bipartisan legislation that will create an affordable housing conversion credit. Modeled after the effective and popular Historic Tax Credit, the legislation would provide a credit equal to 20% of the expenses for converting obsolete commercial leasable space into residential or mixed-use properties, including affordable housing.

This legislation will help downtowns and main streets in [STATE] and across the country recover from the economic challenges they face, while providing more housing opportunities for its residents.

The Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act was introduced in the House earlier this year by Rep. Mike Carey (R-OH). A Senate companion bill is being developed by Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI). We urge you to support this important bill.

Sincerely,

[Name, Title, Organization]

Congress is drafting the fiscal year 2027 appropriations bill for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Unfortunately, the President’s budget request for this year proposes significant and potentially devastating cuts to Homelessness Assistance Grants (HAG)—the main source of federal support for fighting homelessness.

HAG supports a nationwide network of state, local, charitable, and faith-based providers who ensure people experiencing homelessness are identified, kept safe and quickly returned to housing. It includes two key programs:

Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program, which helps communities stabilize people in permanent housing after a crisis.

Continuum of Care (CoC) program, which supports long-term efforts to end homelessness.

IDA and its advocacy partners are working to secure full funding for these programs. Your voice as a downtown leader is essential in making sure Congress understands the local impact of these decisions.

SAMPLE EMAIL:
Every member of Congress has a link on their website that lets you send messages to them. If you know the name of one of their staff members, you can email them directly.

Below is a sample message you can send, or you can write your own. Either way, highlight your connection to the state or Congressional district.

Dear [Name],

I am writing on behalf of [BID name] to urge you to support robust funding for Homelessness Assistance Grants (HAG) at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in fiscal year 2027.

[Brief description of your BID]

As downtown leaders, we see firsthand the terrible toll that living on the streets exacts on those who have lost housing. Homelessness does not discriminate; it touches Americans in all demographic groups, from children to the elderly, families, veterans and many others. The most recent HUD point-in-time report found more than 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2024 – an 18 percent increase from 2023.

[Include any specific examples/data about homelessness in your district, if applicable.]

Homelessness Assistance Grants are the principal source of federal funding to fight homelessness. First established in 1987, these grants support a nationwide network of state, local, charitable, and faith-based homeless assistance providers who make sure that people who become homeless will be identified, kept safe, and quickly returned to housing.

The HAG program has two main components: the formula-based Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program, which supports community work helping people quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness; and the competitive Continuum of Care (CoC) program, which supports communities’ efforts to achieve the goal of ending homelessness. These programs, when combined with other federal, state, local, and philanthropic assistance, are essential to help homeless people find and keep housing. Without consistent funding from the federal government, communities like ours will be unable to stem the increase in people experiencing homelessness.

That is why we urge you to support full funding of the Homelessness Assistance Grant program in the fiscal year 2027, Transportation, HUD and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

Sincerely,
[Name, Title, Organization]

If you are not sure which Senators and House members represent your downtown, you can look them up online.

For the Senate: Go to senate.gov and click on the “Find Your Senators” drop-down menu at the top.
For the House: Go to house.gov and enter a zip code at the top, under “Find Your Representative.” Note that it is possible that more than one Congressional district covers your downtown or city center.

There are several ways you can engage your federal elected representatives.

In general, direct personal communications (phone calls or meetings) have a greater impact, but any of these methods can be effective. If you have an existing relationship with a member of staff, it is more effective to reach out to them, even if they are not the staff person who handles the issue for the Senator or House member. Even if you do not know anyone on staff, you can still make contact.

Send an Email

Every member of Congress has a link on their website that lets you send messages to them. If you know the name of one of their staff members, you can email them directly.

IDA provides template emails for you to use on our top issues, or you can write your own. Either way, highlight your connection to the state or Congressional district and make clear what you are asking for (i.e., for the Senator or Representative to cosponsor the bill).

Pick Up the Phone

A phone call to the Senator or House representative’s office is a more immediate, effective way to get your message across – as long as you call the right person. If you cold-call the office, your message may get to the appropriate legislative staff person, but it’s not a given.

You can find your representative’s office numbers on their website or here (Senate and House)

Request a Meeting

Meeting with a member of the House or Senator or their staff in the district or state can be an effective way to not only gain support for IDA’s top issues, but to begin developing a collaborative relationship between your organization and the policymaker.

To schedule a meeting in the state or district, visit the representative’s website; there usually is a link to a page where you can request a meeting. You also can send an email directly to a member of the staff.

Final Note: When you do contact your elected representatives, please inform IDA about it at andrew@agoragov.com so they can keep track of which representatives have been contacted.