“Our new housing crisis is supply driven. Between 2006 and 2009, we experienced an 80 percent drop in single family housing production. And each year since, we have failed to come close to our housing production needs. More than seven million homes never built in the ten years since 2009. We also have a shortage of millions of units of affordable rental housing. And each year, we get further behind. Housing is a continuum. The fewer homeowners, the more renters and the more renters, the more rents rise. Everybody loses when we fail to work together. But when we address our housing shortage holistically, we can all win.”
These remarks were delivered at NHC’s 2019 Solutions for Affordable Housing convening. Since then, our members and stakeholders across the housing industry have worked tirelessly to successfully advocate for bipartisan solutions to our growing housing affordability crisis. Together, NHC member organizations have successfully turned housing advocacy into results for rental housing and homeownership.
The Trump administration began this year with an official White House memorandum prioritizing housing affordability and supply. Congress made notable strides in housing policy. Lawmakers advanced a significant expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) also increased LIHTC purchase limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In the Senate, Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) worked across party lines to unanimously advance the ROAD to Housing Act (ROAD), reflecting a renewed bipartisan commitment to addressing the nation’s housing challenges.
In the House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), along with Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Chairman Mike Flood (R-Neb.) and Ranking Member Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) introduced the bipartisan Housing for the 21st Century Act, which passed out of Committee with a bipartisan vote of 50-1 on December 17. This legislation is designed to expand housing production and improve affordability by modernizing outdated programs, removing regulatory barriers, strengthening support for manufactured and factory-built housing, and increasing financing options such as small-dollar mortgages. It also enhances transparency, consumer protections, and federal oversight to ensure programs support stable, affordable housing for households across income levels.
Throughout the year, Chairman Flood and Ranking Member Cleaver continued to demonstrate bipartisan leadership through hearings and collaborative legislative efforts in the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee. A key result of those efforts is the HOME Reform Act, designed to streamline long-standing barriers within the HOME Investment Partnerships Program and improve the program’s efficiency and impact. That bill passed the Committee as part of the Housing for the 21st Century Act.
At the same time, significant challenges emerged. Interest rates remain high, costs of supplies and materials have gone up as availability has gone down, in part due to tariffs and supply chain issues, and labor has become less available as a result of immigration policies. The administration has also implemented actions that weakened key federal housing supports, including staff reductions at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund, and freezing or delaying grants and other funds.
Following a White House Executive Order, the administration rescinded critical federal “disparate impact” civil rights protections and guidance across several agencies. The administration has also proposed changes to Regulation B of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), including eliminating disparate impact liability, significantly narrowing the definition of “discouragement,” and largely prohibiting Special Purpose Credit Programs (SPCPs) targeted at serving protected groups. FHFA also has driven significant staffing cuts at the Enterprises (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), ended their SPCPs, and reduced their affordable housing goals. At HUD, actions were taken to undermine the Continuum of Care program and fair housing enforcement, and the Presidential Budget proposed severe changes and cuts to Section 8 housing choice voucher assistance. These setbacks strained the very infrastructure required to address the housing crisis effectively and underscored how fragile progress can be.
With each step, NHC was there representing and advancing the priorities of our members. We pushed back on CFPB’s proposed narrowing of ECOA’s anti-discrimination protections, commented on the proposed Community Reinvestment Act rule, provided input to Congress on the HOME Investment Partnerships program, supported experienced and constructive nominees, advocated for comprehensive housing legislation in Congress, pushed for critical housing funding, and more. We also convened our partners and led the discussion on reform, recapitalization, and release of the Enterprises with our report “Moving Forward: Administrative Recapitalization and Release from Conservatorship for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.”
NHC also featured top policymakers at our landmark events throughout the year, including Chairman Mike Flood at both our Solutions for Housing Communications and Solutions for Affordable Housing convenings; Representatives Shri Thanedar, Rashida Tlaib, and Debbie Dingell, three democratic members of the Michigan delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives at the Black Homeownership Collaborative anniversary event in Detroit; HUD Secretary Scott Turner at our Housing Visionary Awards Gala; and Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren and House Financial Services Committee Housing and Insurance Subcommittee Ranking Member Emanuel Cleaver at Solutions for Affordable Housing.
This increased engagement has had real results—NHC, in partnership with our members and other stakeholders, has helped drive the momentum in Congress in support of bipartisan housing priorities, and has helped navigate the rapid and expansive changes that have occurred under the new administration.
Looking ahead to 2026, NHC and our members must help ensure that the bipartisan momentum in Congress continues, that newly advanced legislation is strengthened and implemented effectively, and that harmful administrative actions are countered with strong advocacy and clear solutions. We must also continue to work constructively and closely with those in the administration committed to advancing the President’s priorities on housing affordability and supply, and uplift fairness and accessibility. The coming year will require sustained coalition-building, deeper engagement with policymakers, and a renewed focus on protecting and expanding the federal programs that make stable, affordable housing possible. Only by working together can we take advantage of the unique opportunities while avoiding threats to our collective goals.
To our current members, thank you for your ongoing support. The dedication and effort of members like you enable NHC to remain a leader in tackling the housing challenges of the 21st century, making us “the place where housers come to get things done.”
For those who are not yet members, we invite you to join today. Whether you are an individual, nonprofit, or for-profit organization, NHC offers membership levels tailored to your needs. Emerging Leaders in Affordable Housing (for members 35 and under) can join for just $50 annually, individual memberships for $100, nonprofit memberships beginning at $1,000, and for-profit memberships beginning at $2,500. For those ready to make an even greater impact, our Leadership Circle offers enhanced opportunities to help drive meaningful change.
Membership comes with valuable benefits that keep you informed and connected. You will gain access to exclusive networking opportunities, discounts to our convenings, and receive NHC’s weekly Member Brief, which provides the latest housing news and developments, along with the Member Note, which highlights key economic trends and policy dialogues.
We are also pleased to continue to expand and launch new resources to help our members stay informed about today’s most pressing housing issues. We recently launched a partnership with ALFReD AI (Autonomous Learning For Real Estate Decisioning) for our Housing Resource Center. ALFReD AI is a housing-focused Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot that combines natural language processing with real estate and policy expertise. It offers real-time responses on topics ranging from financing models to regulatory updates, tailored for developers, advocates, and public-sector professionals. Unlike general-purpose AI tools, ALFReD is built with the housing sector in mind—trained on real estate use cases, finance workflows, and evolving policy environments.
Our Paycheck to Paycheck database compares annual wages and housing costs for nearly 300 occupations in 390 MSAs, illustrating where working families can—and cannot—afford typical housing. Check out our newest report, “Priced Out: When a good job isn’t enough”, which reveals that middle-class Americans are facing a housing affordability crisis once assumed to be a concern only for low-income households. In addition, our podcast Beyond Four Walls: Conversations on Affordable Housing features candid discussions with housing leaders and policymakers about today’s biggest issues.
NHC is committed to bringing together our diverse community of members to collaborate on tangible, impactful, and achievable solutions to the nation’s affordable housing challenges. Our ability to advocate effectively and lead on these critical issues is made possible through the financial and intellectual support of our members. By joining or renewing your membership, you are investing in a stronger, more united voice for housing. Together, we can shape a future where safe, affordable housing is a reality for all.