WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) today announced the launch of an all-new online hub to spark discussions and progress toward solving America’s housing affordability crisis. The website, www.growinghomestogether.org, will serve as a resource center and call attention to creative, successful policy solutions at the state and local levels aimed at making housing more affordable for more American families.
A growing number of Americans – at all income levels – are struggling to find housing they can afford – creating a strain on those families. The Growing Homes Together online hub outlines three key steps to alleviate this burden:
- Address the tremendous shortage of homes and remove barriers to adding more supply.
- Develop and implement creative, public-private partnership opportunities to bring the price point down and create more affordable housing.
- Use targeted subsidies to help families that are in the most need right now.
“Families are struggling to afford housing costs and communities are looking for solutions to end the affordability crisis that do not involve outdated policy solutions or overregulation,” said Doug Bibby, NMHC President. “Our goal with Growing Homes Together is to highlight the policy solutions that will make a meaningful impact on people’s lives, provide roadmaps to reducing barriers to address housing shortages and demonstrate the progress that is possible when local, state and federal governments come together with advocates, residents and industry leaders in the interest of all American families.”
The site includes state- and community-specific facts and data, historical perspectives on housing policy, details on legislation under consideration across the country and resources for those who may want to get involved. In addition, the site will also feature critical background information about the housing crisis, the latest news and perspectives about housing affordability and the facts and figures that policymakers, advocates, renters and developers need in order to develop and deliver meaningful solutions providing relief for families struggling to afford their rent.
Growing Homes Together also provides context around failed or outdated laws. Specifically, the site highlights the harms associated with rent control – a form of government-enforced price control first enacted in the post-WWII economy to help returning soldiers. Rent control policies no longer help lower-income populations, as it was originally intended to do. It actually exacerbates housing shortages, and disproportionally benefits higher-income households. Growing Homes Together advocates for a wider range of housing options, giving Americans greater choice, and proactive policy solutions that do what they are intended to do: make housing more affordable.
Growing Homes Together launches with detailed information about how rent control impacts 14 states across the country, including the housing solutions under consideration in those states. The initial states profiled on the site include: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin, with more states coming soon.
The site also features ways for concerned citizens to get involved by joining an email list and following Growing Homes Together on Twitter and Facebook.
To learn more, please visit growinghomestogether.org.
Read this press release online here.
Based in Washington, D.C., the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) is the leadership of the trillion-dollar apartment industry. We bring together the prominent apartment owners, managers and developers who help create thriving communities by providing apartment homes for 39 million Americans. NMHC provides a forum for insight, advocacy and action that enables both members and the communities they help build to thrive. For more information, contact NMHC at 202/974-2300, e-mail the Council at info@nmhc.org, or visit NMHC's web site at www.nmhc.org