The U.S. federal government is committing almost unimaginable trillions of dollars in various financial packages (stimulus measures and federal budget). The latest analysis of U.S. affordable housing investments from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is mixed; there’s good news in some housing initiatives, and shortfalls in others. U.S. housing policy relies heavily on vouchers (housing payments to lower-income households). While the Department of Housing and Urban Development has an overall 5.5% increase in funding, some voucher programs are still short of the mark – which leaves some families without an affordable home. The overall assessment: The Obama administration has made “significant investments towards preserving federal rental housing assistance for low-income families”. The U.S. measures nclude significant new funding for social housing repair. Unlike Canada, where the federal government added a one-time-only payment of $1 billion for social housing repairs, the U.S. will ramp up permanent spending, which means those increased investments will carry through to future years (the Canadian investments will disappear at the end of this budget cycle).