Homeownership: Encouraging New Construction

Georgia Department of Community Affairs/Georgia Housing and Finance Authority:
For Georgia, by Georgia: Rural Workforce Housing Initiative

In 2023, Georgia was named the number one state to do business in for the tenth year in a row, an unprecedented milestone. Yet, lawmakers recognized the shortage of affordable homes in rural areas as a challenge to economic development. In response, the Georgia Assembly approved $35.7 million in the 2023 State budget to start the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative (RWHI). Within a year, the OneGeorgia Authority and the Dept. of Community Affairs awarded 12 communities more than $23 million.

Louisiana Housing Corporation:
CDBG Builder Assisted Set-Aside Program

The CDBG Builder Assisted Set-Aside Program is designed to bridge the gap between homeownership and single-family housing. With partnerships and incentives, the Louisiana Housing Corporation alleviates the lack of affordable housing in specific parishes and provides pathways to homeownership for the state's most vulnerable residents and families.

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development:
UPLIFT: Utilizing Progressive Lending Investments to Finance Transformation

The primary goal for UPLIFT​ (Utilizing Progressive Lending Investments to Finance Transformation) is to increase property values and provide wealth-building homeownership opportunities for targeted households by accelerating the pace of development, construction, and sale of quality affordable housing in low-income census tracts and designated communities to help close the appraisal gap that occurs in historically redlined areas.

Michigan State Housing Development Authority:
MSHDA Mod: Innovating Through Modular Homes to Address the Housing Crisis

MSHDA’s Neighborhood Housing Initiatives Division (NHID) innovative program started with an idea of encouraging and promoting the concept of modular housing in low- and moderate-income communities where new construction of affordable housing is not common. The program was developed as a response to the local officials demonstrating a market for affordable, workforce single-family housing but being deterred by a lack of construction financing availability due to a lack of comps within the market.

Oregon Housing and Community Services:
Local Innovation and Fast Track Homeownership

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) is growing homeownership opportunities throughout Oregon by providing an innovative, sustainable funding resource to build affordable homes for low-income households and communities of color through the Local Innovation and Fast Track Homeownership program (LIFT). LIFT provides opportunities for developers to build homes that maintain long-term affordability and are energy-efficient and climate-resilient, while helping OHCS close the housing gap.

Utah Housing Corporation:
Utah's First-Time Homebuyer Assistance Program

Utah's First-time Homebuyer Assistance Program helps Utahns achieve homeownership for the very first time while simultaneously encouraging new construction. The Program establishes a base of able purchasers with access to $20,000 in financial assistance, which incentivizes builders to increase the supply of affordable, newly-constructed homes priced under $450,000. Program funds can be used by homebuyers for down payment, closing costs, and/or permanent interest rate buydown.

Vermont Housing Finance Agency:
VHFA Middle-Income Homeownership Development Program

Vermont’s high development cost environment has made it economically unfeasible to produce homes affordable to most homebuyers. Vermont Housing Finance Agency’s Middle-Income Homeownership Development Program supports the construction or rehabilitation of new units through a two-part incentive of a construction guarantee and a development subsidy, producing modest homes and making homeownership attainable for moderate-income households.