View or download a PDF of the letter here.

February 1, 2022

The Honorable Charles Schumer
Majority Leader
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Sherrod Brown
Chair
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Maxine Waters
Chair
Financial Services Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

To Majority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, Chair Brown, and Chair Waters:

As organizations working on America’s housing, we urge you to include strong investment in the production and support of fair and affordable housing and community development in any budget reconciliation bill.

Safe, fair, and affordable housing is central to the quality of life of American households. However, many of America’s renters are paying an overly high share of their incomes in rent and the share of apartments that are priced for low and moderate-income households continues to shrink. Housing sale prices are soaring, contributing to inflation in many markets, and firsttime homebuyer opportunities to find affordable starter homes are severely constrained. Moreover, underserved groups continue to face undue barriers when trying to access housing opportunities. The racial wealth and homeownership gaps are unacceptable and stymie our nation’s productivity. If we invest in housing production without addressing disparities in housing access for underserved groups, we will exacerbate this unacceptable situation.

We need smart, targeted investment in production, opportunity, and support for fair and affordable housing in every state in the country. These investments must address homeownership, rental, and homelessness.

We urge Congress to retain in the next budget reconciliation bill historic investments in housing through both the tax code and appropriated programs to assist the millions of Americans facing housing challenges.