Representatives from Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity joined hundreds of local Habitat organizations and affordable housing advocates on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on February 11 to demand Congress take action on the affordable housing crisis in America.
Habitat on the Hill, a three-day, D.C.-based event that began on Feb. 10, gathered advocates from 48 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico to meet with their Congressional leaders. This year marks the 20th Habitat on the Hill event in Habitat for Humanity International’s 50-year history.
Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity’s Chief Executive Officer, Tim Bailey, and Chief Operating Officer, Chrissy Kyriss, along with representatives from Sussex and New Castle County Habitat’s, met with Delaware congressional leaders Senator Chris Coons, Senator Lisa Blunt-Rochester and Representative Sarah McBride. Central Delaware Habitat advocated for local legislative policies such as increasing state and federal investment in affordable housing, reforming zoning and land use policies, expanding and protecting tenant rights and supporting the acquisition and preservation of manufactured home communities.
“We are incredibly grateful to Senators Coons and Blunt Rochester and Congresswoman McBride for their continued leadership and partnership in advancing affordable housing across Delaware. Thanks to their advocacy, all three Habitat affiliates in our state received a $1 million earmark — a total of $3 million in federal funding — to help expand homeownership opportunities for hardworking families. These investments, along with their leadership on broader bipartisan housing legislation, demonstrate a strong and growing commitment to addressing Delaware’s housing crisis,” said Bailey.
In addition to local legislative priorities, advocates urged Congressional members to fund the Self-Help Homeownership program at no less than $20 million and the Home Investment Partnerships Program at no less than $1.5 billion in the Transportation-HUD appropriations bill. They also asked for Congress to fund the USDA Section 502 Direct Loan Program at no less than $1.25 billion in the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration appropriations bill.
“Many people think that when a Habitat homeowner buys a home, it’s the end of a journey when really it’s the beginning,” said Chief Executive Officer of Habitat for Humanity International, Jonathan Reckford. “A house is not a home until a family is living in it.”
Advocates also called on elected officials to champion “Habitat’s federal solution for affordable homeownership supply” with the proposed Homeownership Supply Accelerator, a plan that aims to create a source of flexible financial assistance that supports property acquisition, new home construction and rehabilitation and other financial barriers faced by for-profit and non-profit developers serving modest-income homebuyers. An estimated number of 800,000 homes are needed to meet the demand of low- and moderate-income homebuyers, as stated by the National Association of Realtors in the 2023 “Housing Affordability and Supply Report.”
“2026 may be the most important year for affordable housing legislation in decades. Affordable homeownership is foundational to strong communities and a strong workforce. We are fortunate in Delaware to have a congressional delegation that understands the urgency of increasing housing supply and is willing to work across the aisle to advance meaningful solutions. The bipartisan momentum we’re seeing in both the House and Senate gives us real hope that long-term, systemic housing challenges can be addressed,” said Bailey.
According to Habitat for Humanity International, the shortage of starter homes impedes workers’ access to job markets with economic opportunities, holds back local economies, exacerbates the wealth gap and keeps millions of would-be homebuyers in the rental market. The annual income needed to buy a median-priced home in the U.S. is $119,800, as researched by Harvard University. The House and Senate have begun taking steps in advancing bipartisan housing legislation through the ROAD to Housing Act (S. 2651) and the Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644).
