Democracy Forward honored with Stewart B. McKinney Award at Human Right to Housing Awards. National Homelessness Law Center Recognizes Pro-Democracy Organization's "Unwavering Commitment to Housing Justice" Washington, D.C. - Democracy Forward received the Stewart B. McKinney Award from the National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC) at its annual Human Right to Housing Awards ceremony. The award recognized Democracy Forward's work in protecting housing access and advancing the rights of people experiencing homelessness. Democracy Forward Senior Counsels Kristin Bateman and Maddy Gitomer accepted the award on behalf of the Democracy Forward team at NHLC's 2026 Housing and Human Rights Awards, hosted in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday evening. "We are proud to recognize Democracy Forward with our Stewart B. McKinney Award for their exceptional leadership in protecting housing access and advancing the rights of people experiencing homelessness through high-impact federal litigation," NHLC said in its announcement of the award. "Over the past year, Democracy Forward has led three critical federal cases that have helped preserve housing opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people, protect evidence-based homelessness solutions from ideological interference, and ensure access to housing regardless of race, disability, gender identity, or immigration status." "Their partnership with the Law Center and dedication to protecting vulnerable communities embody the values of the Stewart B. McKinney Award and the broader movement to advance housing as a human right," NHLC continued. Bateman and Gitomer both worked extensively on the cases cited by NHLC in their recognition of Democracy Forward, and jointly accepted the award on behalf of the organization. "We are honored to receive this recognition and to partner with NHLC to protect the efforts and organizations that play an invaluable role in getting people off the street and into housing," Bateman said in her remarks. "The idea that people should have safe homes to live in is not radical. It is essential to any functioning, let alone thriving, democracy." The award is named after the late Congressman Stewart B. McKinney, who was a primary sponsor of landmark legislation providing federal assistance to Americans experiencing homelessness, and is presented to those "with proven leadership in the fight to end homelessness and poverty." NHLC cited a series of cases where Democracy Forward played a key role in the legal challenges to repeated efforts by the Trump-Vance administration to divert or withhold funding for groups and programs that help people find and stay in housing. Though partnerships and legal advocacy, Democracy Forward has helped successfully stopped HUD from blackballing states and localities that don't criminalize homelessness and organizations that don't commit to denying transgender people's identifies; struck down two unlawful Notice of Funding Opportunities in FY 2025, giving advocates time to convince Congress to require existing awards to be renewed for that year; and most recently, is continuing to fight the Department of Housing and Urban Development's efforts to defund housing that people rely on and radically upend the federal government's flagship program to address homelessness. "We are privileged to be able to work with inspiring partners, and we consider ourselves lucky to continue our fight alongside passionate and brave advocates to ensure every person has a safe home, and that our government recognizes the inherent dignity of every person," Gitomer concluded. "Our entire team at Democracy Forward is honored to do its part to work to ensure that those who seek life-saving services and sustainable solutions for housing stability are able to do so without unlawful and harmful politicization," said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. "A democracy depends on a government that works for all people and it is imperative that people not experience discrimination, bias or prejudice in obtaining essential life services. NHLP has been a leader in this work and we are honored to have represented them in defense." More information about Democracy Forward's legal work challenging unlawful restrictions on homelessness funding here and you can learn more about NHLP here. Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.

Federal fund freeze limits small business loans for low/moderate income families. * By Kara Jeffers * 13 hrs ago Small business owners have less opportunities for loans, as a network of community financial groups goes into their second year with inconsistent federal funding. "Banks began with wealthy people," said Varsovia Fernandez, CEO of the Pennsylvania CDFI Network. Democrats and Republicans launched the Community Development Financial Institutions fund back in the 90s. The goal? Have a federal fund that gave finance tools to distressed communities- the low-to-moderate income households that traditional banks might not take a risk on. "A CDFI's specialty is to be flexible. It's to say 'you don't have credit? You have bad credit? You are not a good candidate? Because you don't have a history of payments?' The CDFI takes that risk," Fernandez said. Nearly 1,400 organizations are CDFI certified, which qualifies them to receive federal monies. They tap into philanthropic and private funds to build their portfolios, and do offer services to a wide range of clients- but their work must stay dedicated to low/moderate income communities. Some CDFIs have grown to specialize in small business loans, along with free business planning and financial literacy training. "You want to start a marketing company, a grocery store, a hair salon- and you don't even know how to register to do business? You don't know what the checklist is to start a business? So you go to a CDFI," Fernandez said. For 30 years, the fund received steady bipartisan support. In 2025, President Donald Trump's administration tried to cut the program. Fernandez says an internal memo raised issues about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the program. "Most of the businesses in low to moderate income communities happened to be minority businesses or black and brown businesses. It had an adverse impact on how the CDFI deployed funds," Fernandez said. Historically, CDFIs qualify for urban and rural locations, as the focus remains on economically disadvantaged areas. Congress did green light the fund, and allocated $320 million (a flat fund from the year before). But the money was withheld by the Office of Management and Budget for several months, then released to the Treasury Department which has yet to release most of the award money. "2026 was a challenging year for us," Fernandez said. Democracy Forward, a legal advocacy group, sued the Treasury Department on Friday, saying money would expire if not pushed out by September 30th. Recent 2026 budget bills allocated even less into the fund. With federal funding in limbo, CDFIs in the commonwealth pushed for more funding from the state. The PA CDFI Network, which unifies and advocates for sixteen of Pennsylvania's 18 registered CDFIs, pitched for $100 million to establish loan and grant programs. The request was not prioritized in this year's budget negotiations. Pennsylvania did increase its Historically Disadvantaged Business Assistance program, which can be an option CDFIs recommend. In past years, the PA CDFI Network itself has received $4-6 million from that program for technical operations. There is also a $8 million small business micro grant offered by the commonwealth which CDFI clients can use. Fernandez says groups will keep pushing for action at federal and state levels, because CDFIs work. The network's 2025 impact report shows they closed out 800 loans, and gave advice or mentorship to around 5,000 businesses. "With small business growth, we are creating jobs in the local communities across Pennsylvania, including rural," Fernandez said. "By creating those jobs, we are closing the wealth gap."