21st Century ROAD to Housing Act County Resource Hub
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Explore NACo resources on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, including key county impacts, local data, federal implementation updates and recommendations to get the most out of these new tools.
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On July 11, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law, following more than a year of stakeholder engagement, bill drafting and bicameral negotiation. The bill’s passage represents a timely response from Congress, coming against the backdrop of a housing affordability crisis felt in communities across the country.
Counties supported the bill from the beginning, signaling the importance of the federal-local partnership in getting housing initiatives to take root. At the same time, NACo worked to address minor operational concerns and preserve local authority, and the final product reflects several priorities that NACo has long championed. This includes timelier access to critical disaster recovery funds, increased versatility in locally administered housing programs, new local funding streams and a series of rural housing reforms.
At a Glance
1.5M
Homes
National home shortage the law aims to help address (per the National Association of Home Builders)
50%
Cost-burdened renters
Percentage of renters nationwide who are considered cost-burdened, spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
6
Direct-to-county grant programs
New direct-to-county grant programs authorized by the bill
Key County Wins
CDBG-DR Authorization
Provides three-year standing authorization for the CDBG-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR), bypassing the supplemental appropriations process and allowing impacted counties to begin rebuilding faster.
HOME Program Flexibility
Reauthorizes the Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) program and streamlines program parameters so counties can deploy affordable housing funds faster and with greater versatility. Counties will benefit from increased income thresholds to better capture workforce housing gaps, expanded uses for adjacent infrastructure and streamlined environmental reviews for modest impact HOME projects.
CDBG Flexibility
Expands eligible uses of CDBG to include new unit construction, adding a key tool to county efforts to boost housing supply.
Highly Flexible Innovation Grants
Authorizes a new competitive funding source for communities that demonstrate housing growth. Funds may be used to boost attainable housing development, including planning and implementing zoning reform, expanding permitting capacity or a wide variety of other housing initiatives.
Tell Your County Story
How does the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act support your county's housing needs?
NACo is collecting real examples from counties nationwide to show Congress and the Administration how this law is being put to work — new construction made possible by HOME flexibility, faster disaster recovery under CDBG-DR authorization, expanded shelter capacity through ESG changes, or zoning decisions protected under the Build Now Act safeguards. Your county's story helps NACo make the case for full funding and smooth implementation going forward.
Implementation Tracker
With the law now signed, NACo's focus shifts to implementation — working with HUD to ensure rulemaking reflects county input and that appropriators fully fund HOME and CDBG. County officials can help by sharing local impact stories, flagging implementation questions, and staying engaged as HUD guidance is released.
Resources & Templates
FACT SHEET
Bill Summary & County Impact
Section-by-section breakdown of provisions relevant to county government.
Policy Brief
Support the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program
Enacted in 1974 to provide block grant funding for community development programs, the CDBG program has been cut by more than $1 billion since 1995, despite serving nearly 50 percent more entitlement communities.
Policy Brief
Support the Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program
The HOME program assists state and local governments in providing affordable housing for low-income families. Since its creation in 1990, annual funding for the program has fluctuated between $900 million and $2 billion.
WEBINAR
What the New Law Means for Your County
NACo staff walks through the final bill, as well as next steps counties can take as HUD and other appropriate agencies begin implementation.
Resource Hub
Housing Affordability Resource Hub
NACo's broader hub on the national housing shortage and county solutions. This includes past advocacy highlights, county and national housing data, best practices, as well as highlights from NACo’s ongoing Counties for Housing Solutions (C4HS) technical assistance program.
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