Blunt Rochester Introduces Housing Supply and Affordability Act

Press Release

Today, Representatives Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), and Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) along with Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced the bipartisan Housing Supply and Affordability Act. The bill would create a new Local Housing Policy Grant (LHPG) program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The proposed program would provide grants to states, localities, tribes, and regional municipal and county coalitions to support local efforts to expand housing supply. The Housing Supply and Affordability Act would encourage local governments to eliminate exclusionary zoning and discriminatory land-use policies by providing additional resources and capacity. The legislation has been endorsed by over 100 organizations across the country.

"Our state and our country are in the midst of a housing crisis that is poised to worsen once we reach the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year alone, Delaware experienced an over 25% increase in homelessness and while our state has taken some truly innovative approaches to expand housing, our localities and municipalities need additional resources to combat the lack of affordable and reliable options we are currently facing," said Blunt Rochester. "That's why I'm proud to introduce the bipartisan Housing Supply and Affordability Act, which will create incentives that ultimately result in more Americans having the dignity and security of reliable housing they can afford."

"Our nation's housing crisis, coupled with the effects of the COVID pandemic, has hit Southwest Washington communities and families particularly hard. Finding solutions to meet our region's housing demands is a top priority of mine, and it's why I'm working in Congress to address this issue," said Herrera Beutler. "I'm pleased to introduce this bipartisan legislation aimed at helping local communities increase housing supply and affordability throughout our region. Our goal is to give families, seniors, and individuals increased access to quality housing in Southwest Washington."

"Right now in America, millions of people lack access to safe, secure, and stable housing because of draconian land-use and exclusionary policies," said Beatty. "The Housing Supply and Affordability Act will help close our nation's severe housing shortage by incentivizing local governments to enact policies that increase supply and help more families find their "home sweet home.'"

"The Housing Supply and Affordability Act will provide cities, states, regional associations, and tribes the resources they need to connect housing with jobs, transit, and opportunity," said Mike Kingsella, Executive Director of Up for Growth Action. "The Local Housing Policy Grant program established by the legislation incentivizes recipients to develop housing policies that eliminate artificial barriers to housing production, including exclusionary zoning. The bipartisan Housing Supply and Affordability Act should be a key component of the country's continued economic recovery. We applaud Senator Klobuchar, Senator Portman, Senator Kaine, Representative Blunt Rochester, Representative Herrera Beutler, and Representative Beatty for developing and introducing this critical pro-housing legislation."

The Housing Supply and Affordability Act would:

Create a federal housing policy grant program that would provide funding for planning and implementing policies that increase housing supply, increase housing affordability, and reduce barriers to housing development. The bill would require these housing policies to prioritize avoiding displacement.
Award Local Housing Policy Grants on a competitive basis to states, local governments, regional coalitions of local governments, or Indian tribes that demonstrate rising housing costs and a pattern of imbalance between the availability of jobs and housing.
Score and prioritize grants based on the merits of the proposed plans, the extent to which the local effort will leverage other sources of federal, state, and local funding, and the degree to which the plan will increase housing supply and affordability near transportation options, and in job-center locations. Preference will be given to applicants that represent regional coalitions to encourage regionally coordinated planning and development.

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