affordable housing challenge is focus of new comprehensive study

A new White House study has been launched looking at the issue of affordable housing and the obstacles to building a greater housing stock for lower-income Americans.

The White House Council on Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing will specifically study exclusionary zoning laws that often make it difficult if not impossible to build affordable multifamily housing units.
 
In a statement applauding the creation of the White House Council, Doug Bibby remarked: “We must address the regulatory barriers and costs associated with creating housing that is affordable.”

Bibby, the president of the National Multifamily Housing Council, added: “Dealing with this crisis will take a partnership between all levels of government and the private sector. Working together, we can make real progress towards reducing the housing burdens so many families face.”

In establishing the council, President Trump noted that in 2017 some 37 million renters and homeowners spent more than 30 percent of their incomes on housing, with around 18 million spending as much as 50 percent of their incomes.

“These rising costs are leaving families with fewer resources such as food, healthcare, clothing, education, and transportation, negatively affecting their quality of life and hindering their access to economic opportunity,” Trump added.

Housing experts say that current barriers to building more affordable housing include everything from environmental regulations to growth management controls and zoning codes.

As planned, the Council will be tasked with working with both state and local officials in seeking input on housing regulations and how to make them more amenable to new lower-income housing projects.  

By Garry Boulard