Housing Affordability for America's Counties
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Housing America's Residents: The Role of Counties
Housing is one of the basic needs for healthy, safe and vibrant communities. Some research estimates a housing shortage of more than 3.8 million units across the country. County voices are instrumental in community planning, land use, zoning and enacting policies and other regulations that affect housing. In addition, many counties distribute federal relief for emergency rental assistance, evictions and foreclosures, and provide temporary housing solutions to individuals with disabilities, low-income populations, veterans and those experiencing homelessness. Though county leaders have varied authority in cultivating housing affordability, each county can play a role in the solution.
Housing America's Residents: The Federal-County Intergovernmental Nexus
Starting in the 1930’s, the federal government began providing housing assistance to lower-income households through the establishment of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) and promoting the construction of low-rent public housing through public housing authorities (PHAs). Today, most federal housing assistance programs are administered through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This brief provides an overview of the federal resources available to counties to address housing affordability.
Housing America's Residents: Finance, Lending and County Tax Policy
Investment – often a blend of financing, lending and county tax policy – is required to successfully develop new housing, maintain existing housing stock, and navigate housing support systems. There are four interrelated aspects of the county role in housing finance, including direct aid to residents, support to developers and community-based organizations, county tax policy and county revenue sources.
Demand for housing has outpaced available supply in counties nationwide
County housing income to cost ratio compared to population trends from the Housing Solutions Matchmaker Tool analysis.
Housing America's Residents: The Role of Counties
Housing spans a wide range of touchpoints in many counties. Though authority may vary, each county can play a role in the solution. There are five key areas in which counties can use policy, administrative, financial or convening levers to foster housing affordability.
Archive of Housing Publications
Across the U.S., county residents are facing a crisis of housing affordability. Housing affordability becomes a problem when too many homes are developed outside of the purchasing power range of residents. As a result, potential homebuyers delay buying a house for years as they try to save for a down payment while repaying student loans and paying exorbitant rents. Low-income renters teeter on the edge of eviction and homelessness when a sudden job loss, unexpected expense or death hits the family. Housing affordability is a challenge that confronts all types of counties on the ground.
Across the country, the lack of affordable housing is severely impacting homeowners and renters. Increasingly, housing affordability is of major concern across all regions of the U.S. and throughout urban, suburban and rural communities. This issue effects everyone, including those who work for counties.
Residents across the country are increasingly burdened by rising housing and transportation costs, which are the leading drivers of affordability challenges.
Across the nation, county residents and county governments are struggling with housing costs. County governments are most explicitly linked to housing through property assessments and the collection of property taxes – their top revenue source – yet, they face a diverse set of challenges stemming from housing affordability issues.
Counties of all sizes and in all regions of the country are struggling with housing affordability.
Resource
Advancing Local Housing Affordability: NACo Housing Task Force Final Report
Senators introduce bipartisan legislation to level playing field for rural communities
Senators introduced the Rural Partnership and Prosperity Act, bipartisan legislation intended to advance economic development in rural counties and overcome barriers to obtaining federal funding and resources.
Not all urban counties have the same housing solution, but they have the same problem
County officials discussed housing affordability at NACo’s Large Urban County Caucus symposium in Orange County, Fla.
Collaboration helps Dallas County, Texas reduce homelessness
Dallas County, Texas's support for a local nonprofit has helped fund housing subsidies and additional case managers, contributing to a 32% reduction in chronic homelessness in less than two years.
Economic mobility is ‘more than just a paycheck,’ Allan Golston says
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Program strategy aims to ease access to safety net benefits, help local leaders promote economic mobility and join partners to unify the economic mobility field.
DOL issues final rule on updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations
On August 8, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a final rule to raise the prevailing wage standard for approximately 1.2 million construction workers under the Davis-Bacon and Davis-Bacon Related Acts.
Community Engagement, Partnerships, and Education: Fostering Healthy Dialogues and Collaborations with Community Organizations and Neighboring Counties to Advance Housing Affordability
Understand housing's broader community impact, focusing on collaboration and benefit-driven narratives.
ARPA and Beyond: County Perspectives on Using Federal Funds to Address Affordable Housing Challenges
This webinar will examine how two counties leverage their ARPA funds for housing. It will also explore approaches post-ARPA for accessing federal funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for housing.
Boosting Career Opportunities in Coal and Manufacturing Communities
Join NACo’s Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities (BRECC) National Network and Counties for Career Success (C4CS) initiatives for this collaborative webinar that showcases successful programs in coal and manufacturing communities.