Housing

Safe, sustainable, and affordable housing is foundational to Americans’ economic security and expanding the path to the middle class. But for years, construction of housing has failed to keep pace with demand, leaving nearly half of rental households “cost burdened” and homeownership increasingly out of reach. Rising costs for education and health care further squeeze families’ budgets, and the search for housing often leads Americans to live far from work where public transit options are limited. Consequently, frequent moves brought on by economic insecurity can disrupt a child’s learning and social-emotional well-being and make it difficult for adults to form strong community bonds.

The Center for American Progress is dedicated to developing and advocating for policy solutions to expand housing supply and alleviate the burden of high costs. Our vision is not just to build housing but to support the growth of communities where Americans want to live, work, and gather for generations to come.

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Removing Barriers to Abundant, Affordable Housing In the News

Removing Barriers to Abundant, Affordable Housing

InsideSources published an op-ed from Kevin DeGood about the role that state and local governments play in America’s housing affordability crisis.

InsideSources

Kevin DeGood

Building the Future: Innovative Solutions to the U.S. Housing Crisis Past Event

Building the Future: Innovative Solutions to the U.S. Housing Crisis

Please join the Center for American Progress for a half-day summit on housing policy.

Converting Vacant Office Space Into Housing Report
The corner of an empty apartment with windows that look onto office buildings in Lower Manhattan is seen.

Converting Vacant Office Space Into Housing

The adaptive reuse of underutilized office buildings, if paired with government support and comprehensive planning, might be a valuable tool in many local markets for addressing the vast need for more—and more affordable—housing.

Michela Zonta, Lily Roberts, Jessica Vela

Lowering Costs for American Families Past Event

Lowering Costs for American Families

Join CAP for a conversation with Neera Tanden, Domestic Policy Advisor to President Joe Biden.

Testimony Before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability In the News

Testimony Before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

Doug Turner testified before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability about addressing the housing crisis through the conversion of commercial buildings.

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

Doug Turner

What California Can Teach America About How To Increase Housing Production Article
Construction of apartment complex with palm trees in background

What California Can Teach America About How To Increase Housing Production

Recent legislation in California has reduced the legal barriers to producing new housing units—everything from accessory dwelling units to large, multifamily buildings—when local governments fail to zone their communities for adequate housing.

Kevin DeGood

Increasing Affordable Housing Stock Through Modular Building Report
A crane stacks modular home segments to make a new duplex.

Increasing Affordable Housing Stock Through Modular Building

Modular building, if brought to scale, has the potential to reduce construction costs and make building new homes more affordable, especially in areas experiencing severe affordable housing shortages.

Michela Zonta

2023 CAP IDEAS Conference Past Event
CAP IDEAS Conference logo

2023 CAP IDEAS Conference

Join the Center for American Progress as we celebrate 20 years of innovative policy solutions and look boldly forward to a progressive future.

The Disproportionate Burden of Eviction on Black Women Report
Sun coming through clouds behind apartment building

The Disproportionate Burden of Eviction on Black Women

The United States continues to face an eviction crisis that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and that disproportionately affects communities of color, particularly Black women.

Cleo Bluthenthal

State and Local Leaders Summit Past Event
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES - 2018/12/21: Pattern on an old metallic bridge seen on a rural road in the State of Georgia, United States. The built structure is painted in green. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)

State and Local Leaders Summit

Governors and mayors will have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform their economies in the months and years ahead.

Patrick Gaspard

Localized Anti-Displacement Policies Report
Photo shows a construction worker standing on the roof of a house.

Localized Anti-Displacement Policies

As more investments enter disadvantaged communities, it is crucial that local policies stabilize current residents, ensure they benefit from expanded opportunity, and protect them from displacement.

Justin Dorazio

The United States Must Deliver on Equitable Housing Outcomes for All Article
A man bicycles past a row of houses in Philadelphia.

The United States Must Deliver on Equitable Housing Outcomes for All

Federal investments kept millions of Americans in their homes during the pandemic; in the long term, commitment to bold federal housing policy can eliminate housing insecurity for millions while uplifting historically disadvantaged communities.

Ashfaq Khan

Recognizing and Addressing Housing Insecurity for Disabled Renters Article
A disabled woman is photographed in her Washington, D.C., apartment, which she can barely afford with public assistance, with family members, October 2012. (Getty/The Washington Post/Marvin Joseph)

Recognizing and Addressing Housing Insecurity for Disabled Renters

In light of new analyses showing that people with disabilities continue to face higher rates of housing insecurity, housing policies must center this community’s needs to ensure a more equitable housing system for all.

Jaboa Lake, Valerie Novack, Mia Ives-Rublee

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