We as a nation need affordable housing.

Communities across the United States are facing shortages of safe, decent housing where residents can afford to live and raise families. In many cities and towns, these needs are growing, especially for renters. In fact, the country as a whole needs an additional 7.2 million rentals that people with extremely low-income can afford, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “On the rental side, there isn’t a single metropolitan area in America today where a family earning minimum wage can afford the fair market rent on a two-bedroom apartment,” says Henry Cisneros, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Federal programs, however, have not kept pace with the local needs. To supplement static or declining federal housing resources, local and state organizations are engaging in broad advocacy initiatives to persuade state and local governments to raise significant new housing resources of their own. “While we need federal funding, which we clearly do, the truth of the matter is that leadership has to come at the local level,” Cisneros says. One case in point: the strides being made in Orange County, one of the most expensive places to live in North Carolina. To stem the overall loss of homes for residents with lower incomes, a housing coalition that includes Habitat Orange County has formed and has succeeded in finding new sources of funding. The coalition helped persuade the town of Chapel Hill to adopt an initiative in which residents allocate a penny of the town’s property tax each year to affordable housing. The initiative has led to new townhomes for older residents and the preservation of affordable rental housing. By coming together, we can shine a spotlight on the great need for more and more available affordable homes. That’s why the Cost of Home campaign places increasing the supply and preservation of affordable homes among its key areas of focus. Add your voice as Habitat advocates for policies that will increase the production, preservation, and accessibility of homes that are affordable for the families who need them most.