WASHINGTON, DC – The National Housing Conference’s (NHC) President and CEO David M. Dworkin released the following statement on the passage of “The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act” by the U.S. House of Representatives.
“The National Housing Conference (NHC) commends the U.S. House of Representatives for the passage of the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, a crucial step towards financing the production of over 200,000 affordable homes if enacted. NHC strongly calls on the Senate to immediately pass this crucial bipartisan legislation so hardworking Americans across the country can receive relief on their rent payments and have access to safe, affordable housing.
We congratulate Reps. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), and Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), for their leadership in addressing the shortage of affordable housing in this country. Thanks to their tireless efforts, the housing provisions within this legislation will yield hundreds of thousands of new housing units at a time when such production is sorely needed.
The United States is experiencing the worst housing affordability crisis in recent history. This bill will make a significant downpayment on bipartisan solutions to produce more housing that is affordable to working Americans in every state. This is why it has strong bipartisan support.
Every American is impacted directly or indirectly by this crisis – the people we rely on to take care of our kids, serve our food, clean our teeth, and teach in our schools. According to the National Housing Conference’s Paycheck to Paycheck database, the need for affordable housing is clear when comparing to wage data. Childcare workers can afford to rent a one-bedroom apartment in only 15 out of 390 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Cashiers can afford to rent a one-bedroom apartment in only 13 of 390 MSAs. This is true for higher-paid workers as well. Dental assistants can’t afford to rent a one-bedroom unit in 101 of 390 MSAs, and Middle School Teachers cannot afford a one-bedroom apartment in 17 of those areas.”
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