A Home for All: Advocating to Address the Affordable Housing Crisis

The lack of affordable housing continues to plague communities across the country, disproportionately impacting low-income families, people of color, and other marginalized groups. With over 18 million households classified as severely cost-burdened, paying more than 50% of their income on rent, the need for legislative action is clear.

Currently, the Faircloth Amendment legally limits the construction of new public housing units funded by the federal government. With private developers focused on higher-end housing and public housing constrained, affordable housing shortages have reached untenable levels.

Introduced in March 2022, the Homes for All Act aimed to tackle this crisis by investing $100 billion annually over 10 years to construct 9.5 million public housing units and 2.5 million private affordable units. It also established a $200 billion grant program specifically focused on anti-displacement measures and alternative community-driven housing models.

"The pandemic has made clear how deep our affordable housing crisis is," said Rep. Omar. "Since the eviction moratorium ended, we have seen an uptick in people being kicked out of their homes. In Minnesota alone, nearly 8,000 are homeless on a given night. And 53,000 are behind on rent. We need solutions that meet the scale of this crisis. We need Homes for All, my bill to invest in 12 million new housing units - vastly expanding the available affordable housing stock, driving down costs throughout the market and creating a new vision of what public housing looks like in the United States of America. I'm proud to reintroduce this bill with the support of so many allies. It's time to treating housing as the human right that it is."

The bill mandated Location and Accessibility standards to integrate new housing with public transit, promoting sustainability through requirements for energy efficiency and carbon neutrality. Tenant protections prohibited housing discrimination based on criminal history, immigration status, sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill also repealed restrictive public housing policies like the Faircloth Amendment to enable creation of new publicly-owned units.

With the influential support of progressive Congressional champions like Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others, the Homes for All Act gained notable visibility upon introduction. However, despite the urgent need for ambitious affordable housing policies, it failed to receive a committee hearing or vote before Congress adjourned, resulting in its expiration.

The pieces are in place for successful reintroduction next term. Cities continue to rapidly gentrify, displacing lower-income residents. Private housing falls short of meeting affordable housing demands, constrained by profit-seeking incentives. Public housing remains legally obstructed from expanding to cover shortages.

Congress has a unique opportunity to make substantial progress on equitable housing access through the Homes for All Act’s reintroduction. This bill represents the scale and vision needed to promote housing justice amidst the ongoing affordability crisis.

You can help advocate for this crucial legislation to address affordable housing shortages. Call or write to your Congressional representatives urging support and co-sponsorship when components of the Homes for All Act is reintroduced next term. Spread awareness on social media. Back local housing justice organizations lobbying around this issue. Keep pressure on lawmakers to prioritize policies tackling the inaccessible and unaffordable housing market that continues to fail vulnerable families and individuals in communities across the United States.

Message Body:

"As your constituent, I urge you to support critical affordable housing legislation like the Homes for All Act when it is reintroduced next term. The lack of affordable housing continues to severely impact American families, with over 18 million households paying more than half their income just on rent. As housing costs rapidly rise across the country, lower-income individuals and families are being pushed out of cities and neighborhoods and left with few options.

The Homes for All Act aims to tackle this crisis through substantial investments in new public and private affordable housing construction. It would appropriate $100 billion annually to build over 9 million much-needed public housing units and 2.5 million affordable private units over the next decade. Crucially, it also provides $200 billion towards anti-displacement grants to help stabilize vulnerable communities.

With housing inequality contributing to destabilization and poverty across the country, ambitious policies like the Homes for All Act are essential to meaningfully address affordable housing deficits. Your support for this legislation and other bills promoting housing affordability and justice for marginalized communities is critical.

I ask that you vow to co-sponsor the Homes for All Act upon its expected reintroduction in the next term. With your backing, increased public investment in public and affordable housing can help promote equitable access to safe and sustainable homes for all Americans. Please be a champion in Congress for the housing justice reforms laid out in the Homes for All Act."