Advocate for Change

Anyone can be an advocate for safe, affordable housing! Check out the ways you can work to change the community you live in for the better!

Contact your US Representatives

Not sure who your Representative is? Check here! 

Sample Message

We encourage you to personalize your message! Use the below as a starting point and share with your representatives why you feel so strongly about this issue. 

Subject: Please Prioritize affordable homeownership resources

Message:

There is a historic shortage of starter homes in every state, which is driving up housing costs and pushing the dream of homeownership out of reach for hard-working families nationwide. As your constituent and a Habitat for Humanity supporter, I urge Congress to act to address our urgent housing crisis and prioritize policies that will bolster the supply of starter homes to increase affordable homeownership opportunities. You can start by:  

1.    Finalizing the fiscal year 2025 appropriations process as soon as possible, providing robust funding for vital housing and community development programs. Additionally, we ask that you support the following programs at the following amounts in the FY2026 budget:

Department of Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD bill):  

                  o Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program — at no less than $20 million  

                  o HOME Investment Partnerships Program — at no less than $1.5 billion  

Department of Agriculture (Ag-Rural Development bill):  

                  o USDA Section 502 Direct Loan Program — at no less than $1.25 billion  

Each of these successful programs helps organizations like Habitat construct, preserve and finance more affordable homes.  

2.    Support the Homeownership Supply Accelerator, Habitat’s innovative federal policy concept to make homeownership a reality for hard-working families nationwide. As envisioned, the accelerator would be a new source of financial assistance to spur the construction of starter homes across the U.S.  

3.     Ensure that any tax package includes provisions that increase the supply of starter homes and protects the tax status of nonprofit housing providers.  

Housing costs are a top concern for families nationwide. Rural, urban and suburban communities are experiencing the historic loss of homeownership opportunities – which is a dire situation for low-income families because no investment is as beneficial as homeownership for wealth building.  

The undersupply of homes also inhibits economic growth by pricing out mortgage-ready homebuyers from the communities where they work and serve.  

Therefore, I urge Congress to support strong investments in affordable housing to expand access to homeownership and offset the rising costs associated with building and rehabilitating affordable homes.  

You should also know that Habitat is a global organization working in 70 countries around the world and is focused on working with countries, including the U.S., to increase access to adequate housing for the more than 1.1 billion people living in informal settlements globally.    

Thank you for recognizing the important role affordable housing plays in strengthening communities and lives.    

Sincerely,