Affordable housing is a critical social issue that can’t be solely tackled through building and repairing homes. We must address this crisis by changing local, state and federal policies as well. And you can be a part of this change right now.
By advocating for two bipartisan national housing bills currently under consideration, your support will significantly impact the lives of low-income families. Read on to learn more about them – and how you can help:
Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2019 (AHCIA)
Purpose: Increase the construction of affordable rental housing in the U.S.
How: Increasing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit allocations by 50 percent, phased in over five years, and enact a minimum 4 percent rate to parallel the minimum 9 percent rate already enacted.
Estimated effect: The construction of 450,000 affordable homes; generation of $48.5 billion in wages and business income, $19.1 billion in additional tax revenue and 510,000 jobs over the next decade.
Learn more: H.R.3077 and S.1703
Neighborhood Homes Investment Act (NHIA)
Purpose: Support access to and the development of communities of opportunity by building and rehabilitating single-family homes for low- and moderate- income homeowners to revitalize distressed neighborhoods.
How: Using federal income tax credits to mobilize private investment.
Estimated effect: It would bridge the gap between the cost of building or renovating homes and the price at which they can be sold.This would make renovation and new home construction possible. The bill would also help existing homeowners in these neighborhoods to rehabilitate their homes.
Learn more: H.R.3316
Here’s how you can engage your policymakers about these bills:
1. Email your members of Congress
Urge them to co-sponsor and support the AHCIA and NHIA. Visit House.gov to identify your U.S. Representative.
Contact Florida Senators Marco Rubio at Rubio.Senate.gov and Rick Scott at RickScott.Senate.gov.
2. Share this blog post
Spread the word on these two bills with friends and family or share them with an even larger audience:
3. Show your support via Twitter
Need a suggestion or two to get your started? Here are some sample Tweets crafted by Habitat for Humanity International:
1 in every 6 households in the U.S. spends half or more of their income on a place to live. That’s unacceptable. #DearCongress, support S.1703 & H.R. 3077 to increase investment in the production of #affordablehousing. @CostOfHome
More than 18 million U.S. households pay half or more of their income on housing. I support H.R. 3316 because I want everyone to have access to #communitiesofopportunity. Do you? @CostOfHome
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