State Policy | January 10, 2020
New Report Details Washington’s 225,000 Home Shortage
FEDERAL WAY – From 2000 – 2015, Washington state fell 225,000 units short of meeting its housing needs, according to a new report from Up for Growth, developed in partnership with ECONorthwest. Housing Underproduction in Washington State found that the housing shortage represented 7.5% of the total 2015 housing stock in the state. While the housing shortage […]
Analysis | January 3, 2020
2019 Was A Big Year for Housing, 2020 Is Already Off to A Good Start
Shortly before the holidays, Virginia delegate Ibraheem Samirah introduced legislation that would legalize duplexes across the Commonwealth, as well as other reforms such as greenlighting accessory dwelling units statewide. Delegate Samirah’s proposals are part of a wave of new legislation introduced in the state legislature after Democrats gained control of both chambers for the first […]
Federal Policy | December 20, 2019
New Senate Proposal Attempts to Tackle the Nation’s Eviction Crisis
While Up for Growth is focused primarily on how we eliminate barriers to housing production and preservation to meet increasing housing needs across the U.S., we cannot ignore the housing crisis’ immediate consequences for the families most impacted by our shortage of homes. Even if the country dramatically boosts housing production tomorrow, low- and moderate-income […]
Infrastructure Finance | December 13, 2019
The Housing is Infrastructure Act is the Latest Pro-Housing Bill Introduced in Congress
In late November, House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) introduced the Housing is Infrastructure Act (H.R. 5187/S. 2951). The legislation seeks to fill the backlog of investment in public housing and support low- and mixed-income housing through direct infrastructure spending, along with other noteworthy reforms. Up for Growth Action […]
Public Remarks | December 6, 2019
The Build More Housing Near Transit Act Can Create Housing Affordability Near Transit
The below is a lightly edited version of prepared remarks that Up for Growth Action Executive Director Mike Kingsella delivered to the American Public Transportation Association’s Legislative Committee meeting on December 5, 2019, which focused on the Build More Housing Near Transit and how affordable housing near transit can be created. Up for Growth Action […]
| November 22, 2019
The HOME Act’s Approach to Housing Affordability
Last month, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) introduced the Housing, Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity Act of 2019, otherwise known as the HOME Act. The bill is similar to legislation of the same name introduced by Senator Booker in the previous Congress. The legislation addresses the housing affordability crisis through […]
| November 15, 2019
The Growing Homelessness Crisis is the Product of Our National Housing Shortage
On any given day in the United States, there are more than 550,000 people experiencing homelessness. This number captures both unsheltered (those living on the street) and sheltered (those living in emergency shelters, transitional homes, and in cars or on couches) individuals. Recently, homelessness has garnered significant national media attention, with headlines such as San Francisco’s $100 million […]
| November 8, 2019
Tech Commits to Housing – What Does it Mean for Affordability and Availability?
This week, Apple joined other major tech companies in making a large financial commitment to initiatives that address the housing crisis near their Silicon Valley headquarters. Apple’s $2.5 billion pledge, added to an earlier $1 billion commitment from Facebook and $1 billion from Google is a recognition that the housing crisis in the communities in which these companies operate […]
| November 1, 2019
Federal Action on Housing Can Start with a Housing Task Force
In the 115th Congress, Senator Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis Act, along with a bipartisan coalition of Senators. In June 2019, he introduced the same bill in the 116th Congress, also co-sponsored by a bipartisan coalition including Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Angus King (I-ME), and 13 […]
| October 25, 2019
New Study Suggests Room for Improvement in TOD Planning, Need for Build More Housing Near Transit Act
A new study from ECONorthwest’s and MapCraft Labs’ Ian Carlton suggests that housing is already a significant consideration for many transit planners. However, the track record for building housing near transit is mixed, in large part because of unrealistic expectations and oversimplified, out-of-context concepts and theories. Carlton’s research found that many transit planning professionals often […]
| October 18, 2019
Part One of our Series on the Broken Housing Ecosystem: Impact Fees
For the next few months, Up for Growth will delve into factors that can prevent housing supply from meeting demand. This series will also address short and long-term solutions that may help restore balance to the broken housing ecosystem. Over the past ten years, the United States produced fewer housing units than at any other point […]
| October 11, 2019
Housing Affordability Starts with Strengthening Existing Programs
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) is one of the primary ways the federal government spurs the creation of affordable housing for lower income Americans, responsible for nearly 90% of the affordable units in the country. Established by the landmark 1986 tax overhaul, LIHTC provides a dollar-for-dollar tax credit to private entities developing affordable housing […]
| October 4, 2019
Why the YIMBY Act is an important first step for federal housing legislation
The United States is in the midst of a major housing shortage and affordability crisis. Research from Up for Growth found that from 2005 – 2015, we fell 7.3 million homes short of meeting housing needs. This shortage means that families and individuals struggle to find high quality, affordable homes in the areas where they want […]
| September 27, 2019
Revitalizing Disinvested Neighborhoods through the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act
Housing decay, obsolescence, and widespread vacancy comes with a high cost – both economically and socially. Vacant homes and lots not only reduce property values for surrounding units, they also mean a loss in property taxes, which pose significant challenges for government. Key infrastructure like schools, roads, and utilities face dwindling property tax revenue. From […]