NEWS: Senators Blunt Rochester, Warner, Kim Introduce New Legislation to Unlock Faith-Based and Higher-Ed Land for Affordable Rental Housing

Senators push multi-pronged strategy to boost supply, expand access, and bring down housing costs for American families.

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, joined Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) to introduce the Yes in God's Back Yard (YIGBY) Act, new legislation designed to help faith-based organizations and institutions of higher education unlock the promise of their existing land holdings by transforming underused property into much-needed affordable housing. The bill would provide resources and incentives to support the development and preservation of affordable rental housing on property these institutions already own.

"If we are truly going to combat our housing affordability crisis, we need all-hands-on-deck effort," said Senator Blunt Rochester. "Faith-based organizations and institutions of higher education already give back to our communities in so many ways, and this would allow them to provide even more for families. I am proud to be introducing this bill alongside Senators Warner and Kim, and I look forward to working with our colleagues to get this done."

"Too many families are getting priced out of their communities because of the skyrocketing cost of housing," said Senator Warner. "If we want to make housing more affordable, we need to get creative and take advantage of opportunities that already exist. The YIGBY Act is about breaking down barriers and giving faith communities and colleges the support they need to put their land to work creating safe, affordable homes."

The YIGBY Act would:

• Provide technical assistance to faith-based organizations and institutions of higher education seeking to use their land for affordable rental housing;
• Provide technical assistance to local governments on best practices to streamline permitting and reduce barriers; and
• Create $50 million per year in grants for communities that adopt policies removing barriers to affordable housing on property owned by faith-based organizations or colleges.

The legislation has endorsements from the United Church of Christ, Lutheran Services in America, LeadingAge, True Ground Housing Partners, Virginia Housing Alliance, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).

Full text of the bill can be found here.

The YIGBY Act comes as a product of Blunt Rochester's dedication to increasing housing affordability in Delaware and across the nation. The first bill that Blunt Rochester introduced in the Senate was the bipartisan and bicameral Housing Supply Frameworks Act, which would provide resources to help communities rehaul their zoning and land use regulations. She has also introduced the bipartisan Accelerating Home Building Act to streamline housing construction, the bicameral Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Act to permanently authorize and expand the Choice Neighborhoods Program, the bipartisan Veterans Housing Stability Act to help keep veterans and servicemembers in their homes, and the bipartisan Community Investment and Prosperity Act to unlock billions in capital for affordable housing. She additionally joined her Banking Committee colleagues to advance the ROAD to Housing Act, a landmark, bipartisan package which contained three bills she authored.

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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.