More than 400 letters have been sent to Congress by Opportunity Starts at Home advocates in support of the “Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis Act” (S.3231). The bill would create a bipartisan affordable housing task force to better understand and respond to America’s housing affordability crisis. The bill was introduced in July by Senators Todd Young (R-IN), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Angus King (I-ME), along with Senators Dean Heller (R-NV), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Doug Jones (D-AL), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Chris Coons (D-DE).
This bipartisan task force would:
- Evaluate and quantify the impact that the lack of affordable housing has on other areas of life and life outcomes;
- Evaluate and quantify the costs incurred by other federal, state, and local programs due to a lack of affordable housing; and
- Make recommendations to Congress on how to use affordable housing to improve the effectiveness of other federal programs and improve life outcomes.
“For millions of Americans, a lack of affordable housing has negative, profound, and lasting consequences,” stated Senator Young. “Research shows that an inability to access safe and affordable homes jeopardizes educational performance and economic mobility, and leaves families with fewer dollars to spend on health care, groceries, and other important expenses – further ingraining families in the cycle of poverty.”
The establishment of a congressional task force to deeply study the country’s housing affordability challenges in a bipartisan way and to articulate robust solutions would be an important step in addressing the nation’s affordable housing crisis. The letters from Opportunity Starts at Home advocates represent the campaign’s first advocacy for a specific piece of legislation.
Help the campaign spread the word and urge your networks to send a letter urging the creation of this bipartisan affordable housing task force.
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