WASHINGTON, D.C. -  Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, reintroduced a legislative housing package aimed at tackling the affordable housing crisis, ending homelessness, and eliminating the racial wealth and homeownership gaps in the United States. Together, these bills represent the single largest and most comprehensive investment in affordable housing in U.S. history and comes at a time when our nation’s housing and homelessness crisis has reached its worst state. Today, U.S. home prices have skyrocketed by nearly 40% since 2020, over 582,500 people are living without a home, and first-time homeownership has reached its lowest level on record.

• The Housing Crisis Response Act of 2023 would provide more than $150 billion in fair and affordable housing investments, representing the single largest investment in affordable housing in our nation’s history. These funds would create nearly 1.4 million affordable and accessible homes, help nearly 300,000 households afford their rent, and address the racial wealth gap through the first-ever national investment in homeownership for first-time, first-generation homebuyers. This bill is similar to the housing title of the Build Back Better Act, which the House passed last Congress. Please click here for the fact sheet, endorsements, and bill text for the Housing Crisis Response Act.

Cosponsors for this bill include: Representatives Juan Vargas, Suzanne Bonamici, Emanuel Cleaver, Sylvia Garcia, Gwen Moore, James McGovern, Ritchie Torres, Al Green, Mark Pocan, Gregory Meeks, Steven Horsford, Nikema Williams, Stephen Lynch, Sydney Kamlager Dove, Rashida Tlaib, Salud Carbajal, Joyce Beatty, Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr., Adam Smith, Grace Meng, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Morgan McGarvey, and Brittany Pettersen.

• The Ending Homelessness Act of 2023 would end homelessness and significantly reduce poverty in America by transforming the Housing Choice Voucher program into a federal entitlement, so that every household who qualifies for assistance would receive it. The bill would also ban housing discrimination based on source of income and veteran status. Please click here for the fact sheet, endorsements, and bill text for the Ending Homelessness Act.

Cosponsors for this bill include: Representatives Juan Vargas, Suzanne Bonamici, Emanuel Cleaver, Sylvia Garcia, Gwen Moore, James McGovern, Ritchie Torres, Al Green, Mark Pocan, Gregory Meeks, Steven Horsford, Nikema Williams, Stephen Lynch, Sydney Kamlager Dove, Rashida Tlaib, Salud Carbajal, Joyce Beatty, Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr., Adam Smith, Grace Meng, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Morgan McGarvey, and Brittany Pettersen.

• The Downpayment Toward Equity Act of 2023 would help address the U.S. racial wealth and homeownership gaps by providing $100 billion in direct assistance to help first-time, first-generation homebuyers purchase their first home. This would include assistance for downpayments, closing costs, and to help buydown mortgage interest rates. The lead cosponsors of this bill include: Representative Al Green (D-TX), Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Representative Sylvia Garcia (D-TX). Please click here for the fact sheet, endorsements, and bill text for the Downpayment Toward Equity Act.  

Other cosponsors for this bill include: Representatives Juan Vargas, Suzanne Bonamici, Emanuel Cleaver, Sylvia Garcia, Gwen Moore, James McGovern, Ritchie Torres, Al Green, Mark Pocan, Gregory Meeks, Steven Horsford, Nikema Williams, Stephen Lynch, Sydney Kamlager Dove, Wiley Nickel, Rashida Tlaib, Salud Carbajal, Joyce Beatty, Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr., Adam Smith, Grace Meng, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Morgan McGarvey, and Brittany Pettersen.

Last Congress, then Chairwoman Waters fought to include these pieces of legislation in the Housing Title of Build Back Better, which passed in the House, but ultimately did not pass in the Senate.