Local Habitat affiliates from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are calling on the lead negotiators of the Build Back Better Act to keep housing priorities in the bill. In a letter delivered to congressional leaders today, Habitat is outlining specific priorities that would invest in the nation’s housing infrastructure by boosting supply of affordable homes for both rental and homeownership and creating new opportunities to access those homes for lower-income families.
“Habitat works in communities all across this country — urban, suburban and rural — and we are speaking with one voice: Congress must deliver transformative housing investments in the Build Back Better Act,” said Jonathan T.M. Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “Housing investments are fundamental to health, economic mobility and racial equity, and must continue to be a core tenet of the nation’s plan to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and begin to address decades of disinvestment in safe, decent and affordable places to live.”
The more than 375 Habitat organizations are calling on Congress to support six specific legislative initiatives that will boost affordable homeownership. Habitat is acting through its Cost of Home campaign, which is working to improve housing affordability for 10 million people.
“Stable, affordable homes are indispensable for Americans’ health, education and well-being,” the Habitat organizations wrote. “Investing in our nation’s housing infrastructure by building and preserving homes for affordable homeownership will fortify our communities and broaden economic recovery. Habitat urges Congress to prioritize these housing investments to ensure no one and no community is left behind as we build back from the pandemic.”