Congress Passes Rep. Hoyle’s Language for Affordable Housing
Included in passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
Washington, D.C. — In a win for all Americans, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, bipartisan legislation to address housing affordability and increase the supply of homes across the country has passed both chambers of Congress. The Senate passed the bill late last night, and the U.S. House of Representatives passed it today.
Rep. Hoyle successfully pushed for the inclusion of language from the Decent, Affordable, Safe Housing for All Act (DASH Act) in the final bill. That language will expand rural housing vouchers and help repair aging properties in rural communities.
Rep. Hoyle made the following statement after the bill passed the House:
“This is a great first step toward expanding affordable housing. For too long, rural communities have been left behind in the housing affordability crisis. Oregonians—and Americans across urban, suburban and rural communities alike — are being priced out of their homes, and it’s hurting families and communities. No one should have to struggle to keep a roof over their head, and no one should be forced to leave a community they love because they can’t afford to live there.
There’s still more to be done, and I’ll keep fighting to get the rest of the DASH Act signed into law.”
Detailed provisions from the DASH Act included in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act are below:
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Makes the Multi-Family Housing Preservation and Revitalization (MPR) program permanent, helping preserve and improve existing rural rental housing while keeping rents affordable for tenants.
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Expands access to rural housing vouchers so more low-income households can qualify when certain federally financed rural housing properties leave the program.
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Clarifies how rural housing voucher amounts are calculated to prevent ambiguity about what assistance people will receive
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Allows property owners six months to reassign unused rental assistance to another eligible tenant. If it is not used during that time, the assistance is transferred to eligible families in other rural housing properties. This prevents assistance from disappearing and ensures it keeps serving rural low-income families somewhere else in the program.
The full bill text for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act can be found here: https://www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/bill_text_of_the_21st_century_road_to_housing_act.pdf
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