Statement on Housing Proposals in President Biden’s State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, DC — The National Council of State Housing Agencies thanks President Biden for focusing on the nation’s housing shortage and proposing several steps to reduce it in his State of the Union Address last night.

“The main reason housing costs are too high for too many Americans is because there are too few homes and apartments many can afford,” said NCSHA Executive Director Stockton Williams. “The president’s proposals last night, following a number of actions his administration has taken to date, would help cut our country’s housing deficit and make housing more affordable for many.”

The proposals in the speech and supplementary information from the White House reflect a comprehensive approach for addressing a multifaceted crisis: incentives for apartment construction, home sales, and home buying; resources to local communities for reducing regulatory barriers to development; and assistance to economically vulnerable renters.

“Governors, state legislatures, and state housing finance agencies across the country are making unprecedented commitments to bring down housing costs and cut the housing deficit,” Williams said. “We look forward to working with the Biden–Harris Administration and Congress to bring additional federal resources to the table.”

NCSHA is also urging the U.S. Senate to pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act. The bill, which recently passed the House of Representatives by a 357 – 70 vote, with massive support from both parties, would spur development of 200,000 affordable apartments right away.

About the National Council of State Housing Agencies

For more than 50 years, state housing finance agencies (HFAs) have played a central role in the nation’s affordable housing system, delivering financing to make possible the purchase, development, and rehabilitation of affordable homes and rental apartments for low- and middle-income households.

The National Council of State Housing Agencies is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization created 50 years ago to advance, through advocacy and education, the efforts of the nation’s state HFAs and their partners to provide affordable housing to those who need it. NCSHA’s vision: An affordably housed nation. Learn more at www.ncsha.org.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lisa Bowman, Director of Marketing and Communications