06 Jul 2021 BPC Action Applauds Reintroduction of the Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis Act in Housing

BPC Action issued the following statement regarding the reintroduction of the Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis Act: 

“The United States is in the midst of a severe shortage of safe, affordable, and accessible homes. This has far-reaching consequences, affecting everything from the pace of economic growth to public health.  

“Beginning with its 2013 Housing Commission, and its seminal report Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy, and now continuing with its Housing Advisory Council, the Bipartisan Policy Center has repeatedly sounded the alarm on our nation’s numerous and urgent housing challenges. BPC Action commends Sens. Todd Young (R-IN), Angus King (I-ME), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), John Kennedy (R-LA), and Jon Tester (D-MT) for their bipartisan collaboration to reintroduce S. 2190, the “Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis Act.” This bill would create a task force to bring greater scrutiny to the alarming shortage of affordable rental homes in the United States, study its broad impacts, and recommend improvements to federal policy.   

“Importantly, this legislation recognizes the critical importance of affordable housing to the health and wellbeing of every American family. By requiring the task force to evaluate and quantify the impacts that the lack of affordable housing has on a host of social outcomes, this legislation amplifies the call to grow the supply of affordable rental homes. BPC has found and documented, in reports like Healthy Aging Begins at Home and HUD-HHS Partnerships: A Prescription for Better Health, how widespread housing insecurity is a growing public health problem in communities across the United States. This problem has only grown with COVID-related financial hardships, demanding new thinking, new strategies, and additional investment.   

“Housing affordability is a key driver of improved health, increased education attainment, and higher lifetime earnings. This legislation and the work of the task force will help further shine a light on the importance of federal investment in affordable homes—to low-income Americans, our economy, and our future. BPC Action looks forward to working with the Senate to pass this important legislation.”