Spectrum News 1: Impacts of tariffs on home construction

It seems that one area most Americans can agree on is that there is a housing affordability crisis across our country. One of the primary ways that Habitat for Humanity seeks to address that crisis is by building simple, decent and affordable homes in partnership with first-time homebuyers.

Proposed tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, including lumber, will worsen our housing supply deficit and hurt everyday Americans. This will be felt most painfully by the same families who have been shut out from the housing market for far too long.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, “more than 70% of the imports of two essential materials that home builders rely on — softwood lumber and gypsum (used for drywall) — come from Canada and Mexico, respectively.”

When building costs increase, working families pay the price.

Habitat’s executive director Christine Schudde spoke with Spectrum News 1 about the impacts of potential tariffs on our home construction program:

“We have eight more houses in predevelopment that we haven’t purchased lumber yet," Schudde said. “This could have a real impact on projects, starting as of this spring.”