Examining Proposals to Address Housing Affordability, Availability, and Other Community Needs

Similar to other infrastructure projects like road construction, improving housing and increasing supply requires people to build the development, manage and maintain the building, and attend to other housing-related needs.5 Finally, stabilizing a family in housing they can afford helps them engage in the workforce in a more consistent and productive way. [...] Notably, the racial and ethnic makeup of various subgroups may not match the overall racial and ethnic makeup of people experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness, as seen with veterans and older adults experiencing homelessness.35 For example, these efforts did little to address the substantial over-representation of Black people among the unhoused population. [...] In addition, vouchers have the potential to broaden housing choice and help families find housing in higher-cost, lower-poverty neighborhoods with high-performing schools and other resources if they wish to do so, but in practice more needs to be done to ensure families receiving assistance have access to these communities if that is the right choice for them..36 And unnecessarily strict screening. [...] Increase and Streamline Funding for New Affordable Housing Many parts of the country face serious housing shortages, estimated at a total of 3.8 million units by a 2021 Freddie Mac study,39 that drive up home prices and rents and limit the housing options available to families and individuals. [...] In allocating new resources and implementing policies to make funding streams better align with each other and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), policymakers should prioritize investments in programs that benefit the lowest-income people and other underserved groups, including the National Housing Trust Fund, Public Housing Operating and Capital Fund, and tribal housing programs.