Durbin, Duckworth, Foster Introduce New Legislation To Boost Housing Stock Across The Country

Durbin, Duckworth, Foster Introduce New Legislation To Boost Housing Stock Across The Country

The ABODE Act would create a design competition for 21st century single-family homes with a focus on cost, energy efficiency, and scalability

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-IL-11) today introduced new legislation that would address the housing shortage in the United States, which has priced millions of Americans out of home ownership. To mitigate barriers to home ownership and incentivize builders to focus on constructing resilient and affordable homes, the Advancing Better Options for Dwellings Everywhere (ABODE) Act would create a competition for designs for 21st century single-family homes with a focus on cost, energy efficiency, and scalability.

"The rising cost of building starter or single-family homes has spurred an affordability crisis that has priced millions of Americans out of owning or renting a home," Durbin said. "My new legislation, the ABODE Act, would confront the barriers to housing affordability and incentivize builders to construct affordable single- and multi-family homes that meet our nation's needs."

"The cost of rent and mortgages have been growing further and further out of reach for middle-class Americans for far too long and we need to invest in new pathways for communities facing severe housing shortages," said Duckworth. "As costs have continued to rise with little relief-and with Donald Trump telling Americans he wants housing prices to skyrocket even more-I'm proud to join Senator Durbin in introducing this legislation today to help create more affordable housing to help American families."

"To confront the housing affordability crisis, we must meet demand by increasing supply," said Foster. "This bill would incentivize the construction of more energy- and cost-efficient housing in areas that sorely need it. I'm proud to join our Senators in this effort to expand affordable housing options while strengthening the long-term resilience of our communities."

Specifically, the ABODE Act would:

• Require the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in consultation with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to conduct a competition with academic organizations, developers, and nonprofits to build or rehabilitate single- and multi-family homes with a focus on cost, energy efficiency, and scalability;

• Direct HUD to focus awards on quality, durability and maintenance costs, and universal design (i.e., homes that would be accessible for people with disabilities);

• Award grants at completion of the contract for building homes that abide by robust sustainability and energy efficiency measures;

• Prioritize initiatives in areas with a severe affordable housing shortage; and

• Provide, within two years of the bill's enactment, an annual report to Congress on program's success, including projects funded, projects completed, and the number of affordable houses built.

Nationally, there is a shortage of more than seven million affordable homes, particularly "starter homes." Starter homes are now estimated to only make up roughly nine percent of new real estate in recent years, far below the 40 percent in the 1980s. Barriers - including restrictions on land use and rising construction costs - have disincentivized builders from constructing more affordable housing. Research has shown that safe and affordable housing is vital in increasing economic opportunities, and that the most cost-effective way to reduce childhood poverty is to increase access to affordable housing. In fact, research shows that children who moved to lower poverty neighborhoods saw their earnings as adults increase by 31 percent.

The ABODE Act has earned the endorsement of the Illinois Housing Council.

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