Memo to Members

National League of Cities Urges Action on Housing Affordability

Jul 15, 2019

The National League of Cities (NLC) Housing Task Force published a report, Homeward Bound, urging major action at all levels of government to solve the nation’s housing affordability crisis. Homeward Bound contains an analysis of the factors that caused the housing crisis, case studies of cities implementing innovative solutions, and recommendations for local and federal leaders. In particular, the report highlights the growing recognition that housing is a prerequisite for opportunity and health, and argues that local leaders cannot solve the problem alone.

NLC is one of 16 national organizations on the Opportunity Starts at Home multi-sector campaign Steering Committee elevating the importance of affordable housing. More than 20 elected officials and local leaders from across the country compose the NLC Housing Task Force.

“This crisis is affecting the quality of life for people throughout our nation, and the time to act is now,” writes Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in the report’s foreward. “All levels of government need to face this housing crisis head-on.”

Regarding its federal recommendations, the report identifies five policy strategies: 

  1. Immediately stabilize and stem the loss of public and affordable housing; 
  2. Follow emergency intervention with passage of a long-term, standalone housing bill that authorizes ten years of new funding for pilot programs that advance housing for all; 
  3. Support innovation and modernization of land-use and planning at the local and regional level;
  4. Fix inequities in housing development and the housing finance system; and 
  5. Support scalable innovation and financing for cities, towns, and villages.  

Many of the recommendations align with the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign’s national policy agenda, which further advances the call for more robust and equitable federal action.

The full report is at: click here. 

Follow the campaign on all social media platforms: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.  Be sure to sign up for our e-newsletter to get the latest updates about the campaign, including new multi-sector partners, calls to action, events, and research.

Related Content