Learn More about the Budgetary Trade-Off Programs
Affordable housing grants. In its FY2010 budget justification, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) planned to provide 2,165,700 low-income households with Section 8 tenant-based rental vouchers at a total cost of $17.836 billion, or $8,235.67 per household.
HUD’s program description: “Initiated in the mid-1970s, rental housing vouchers have since emerged as the nation’s largest low-income housing assistance program. They now serve over 2 million households with extremely low incomes (about 40 percent of families who receive vouchers now have incomes below half of the poverty line), paying the difference between 30 percent of a household’s income and the rent of a qualifying, moderately priced house or apartment.”
Green jobs training. In its FY2010 budget justification, the Department of Labor (DOL) requested $50 million for its Green Jobs Innovation Fund to train 8,300 workers for a cost of $6,204.10 per worker.
DOL’s program description: “The Green Jobs Innovation Fund, authorized as Pilot and Demonstration Projects under Section 171 of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, supports competitive grant opportunities to help workers receive job training in green industry sectors and occupations and access green career pathways.”
Early reading education. In its FY2010 budget justification, the Department of Education (DOE) estimated that in FY2009 it spent $112,549,000 for its Early Reading Fund to serve 33,278 children for a cost of $3,382.08 per student.
DOE’s program description: “The Early Reading First program supports local efforts to enhance the early language, literacy, and pre-reading development of preschool-aged children, particularly those from low-income families, through instruction, materials, and professional development based on scientific reading research.”
Primary health care. In its FY2010 budget justification, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported that it spent $1,988,039,000 in FY2007 to provide 16.1 million patients with primary health care through its Health Centers program for a cost of $123.48 per patient.
HHS’s program description: “For more than 40 years, Health Centers have delivered comprehensive, high-quality, cost-effective primary healthcare to patients regardless of their ability to pay. During that time Health Centers have become the essential primary care provider for America’s most vulnerable populations: people living in poverty, uninsured, and homeless; minorities; migrant and seasonal farmworkers; public housing residents; geographically isolated; and people with limited English proficiency.”