Hundreds of housing advocates call on Congress to act for housing affordability

The dwindling supply of affordable starter homes across America is a crisis that denies millions of families the foundation for stability and opportunity while straining communities and hindering economic growth.

This week, we joined with nearly 500 Habitat for Humanity leaders and housing advocates from across the country at Habitat’s annual legislative conference, Habitat on the Hill. We met with members of congress to prioritize policies and investments that tackle the urgent affordable housing crisis, especially through growing the supply of affordable starter homes across the U.S.

Nationwide, we’re seeing a record shortage of starter homes, which is driving up housing costs and pushing the dream of homeownership out of reach for hard-working families. Rural, urban and suburban communities of all sizes are experiencing this historic loss of affordable homeownership opportunities.

Representatives from affiliates across New York State.

We know Congress is hearing from constituents about housing costs — the recent elections showed us it was a major issue for voters. Congress must help address the historic low supply of affordable entry-level homes to address this supply shortage at scale — the private market alone cannot address the undersupply of starter homes. Habitat is asking legislators to act by immediately supporting:   

• Robust funding for vital federal housing and community development programs and finalization of the bills in a timely manner. 

• The Homeownership Supply Accelerator, Habitat’s innovative federal policy concept that would spur the construction of affordable starter homes and make homeownership a reality for hard-working families nationwide.  

Habitat is also encouraging federal elected officials to learn more about housing issues around the world given the more than 1.1 billion people living in informal settlements. 

Thank you U.S. Representative Paul Tonko (NY-20) for meeting with us and for your deep commitment to increasing housing affordability.

You can amplify our important calls to action with your members of Congress today: 

1. Call on your elected leaders to invest in affordable homeownership now. 

2. Engage your community: Share this post with your family and friends and encourage them to raise their voices and contact their elected leaders. 

3. Leverage social media: Use your social media platforms to share your story of why housing affordability is important to you! Tag us @habitatcd_org so we can amplify and share.

Collective actions like these are powerful ways to remind lawmakers of the public demand for affordable housing policies. 

With our voices in action, we can build toward our vision of a world where everyone has a safe, decent and affordable place to call home. Thank you for using your voice!