The U.S. is facing a housing crisis — as in, there isn’t enough affordable housing available for the number of people who need it.
The housing shortage is driving up costs of buying. Low supply, teamed with ongoing inflation eating into people’s budgets and mortgage rates over 7%, means there doesn’t seem to be much relief in sight.
When would-be home buyers can't afford to purchase a home, they may remain in the rental market longer, adding to demand for rental housing. In markets where rental supply can't keep pace, that can put further upward pressure on rents.
The problem isn't simply that the U.S. needs more housing. More to the point, it needs more housing that people operating at different income levels can actually afford. In other words, we need more “affordable housing.”
In the dictionary sense of the phrase, “Affordable housing” means that occupants pay no more than 30% of their gross income for housing and utilities costs. It means the other 70% of people’s income can go toward other costs of living. Those who spend over 30% of their income on housing are considered to be housing cost burdened.
Roughly 70% of families with extremely low income use more than half of their income on rent, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which also says there is currently a deficit of 6.8 million affordable housing units available.
So how can policy — and politicians — solve the challenges of affordable housing?
Candidates in the 2026 election (mostly Democrats) frequently make “affordable housing” a refrain in their housing proposals, but what they mean by the term varies widely from race to race.
Plans to make housing more affordable typically address different parts of the housing crisis: Some focus on expanding homebuilding, cutting permitting red tape, subsidizing rents or helping first-time home buyers afford their purchase. The range of candidates’ approaches demonstrates how differently they’re defining the problem. Here are some examples.
‘Build 100,000 homes’
Who says it: Amy Klobuchar, Democratic candidate for governor of Minnesota.
What she’s promising to do: Put Minnesota on a path to create 100,000 new homes. She says she would support factory-built housing and make it easier for construction projects to move forward by standardizing the permitting process. She would also create a low-interest revolving loan fund for developers in rural areas, ban price-fixing for rents and make the state housing tax credit permanent.
‘Housing for All’
Who says it: Claire Valdez, Democratic candidate for U.S. House in New York’s 7th Congressional District.
What she’s promising to do: Create a federal housing developer in order to finance and build millions of permanently affordable homes. She says she would also repeal restrictions on new public housing construction and tie federal housing funds to local zoning changes that would allow more development of multifamily homes. She also proposes national rent control, expanded housing vouchers, a federal good-cause eviction law and stronger enforcement against landlords who neglect their properties.
‘Builders’
Who says it: Mike Rogers, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan.
What he’s promising to do: “Builders” is the name of Rogers’ housing plan. He says he would expand tax-advantaged savings for first-time homebuyers, allow renters to build credit through on-time rent payments, and let borrowers defer student loan payments while saving for a down payment. He also pledges to cut regulations and permitting barriers, create tax-free residential housing zones to incentivize new construction and expand skilled-trades training to increase the construction workforce.
‘Building boom’
Who says it: Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan.
What he’s promising to do: Make major federal investment in new housing, streamlinee building regulations and expand Low-Income Housing Tax Credit allocations to boost the affordable housing supply in Michigan. He says he would also ban large corporations from buying homes for speculation, ban price-fixing for rents, charge short-term rental platforms like Airbnb dislocation fees, and establish a federal renters’ “bill of rights” to protect tenants.
‘Put homeownership back within reach’
Who says it: Chris Pappas, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire.
What he’s promising to do: Cut red tape and speed up permitting to boost homebuilding growth, expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit to expand affordable housing and provide tax credits to help first-time home buyers with down payments. Pappas also says he supports increasing loan limits for manufactured housing and property improvements. He has co-led legislation to create a federal grant program that offsets state and local impact fees on new housing developments.
‘Make homeownership more affordable’
Who says it: Ken Paxton, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas.
What he’s promising to do: Provide a $50,000 tax deduction for first-time homebuyers and a separate $50,000 tax deduction for homeowners moving to a new primary residence. He has also proposed restricting corporations from buying single-family homes.
How to learn more about what you’re voting for
To find out more about what’s on your ballot, start with your state or local election office. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission and Can I Vote both provide directories linking voters to official state election resources. You can also find out what positions candidates are taking using VOTE411 from the League of Women Voters.
The article What Does ‘Affordable Housing’ Mean? originally appeared on NerdWallet.
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