11-02-2025
Berkshire Habitat for Humanity visiting Congress for help with housing
PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Representatives from Habitat for Humanity groups across the country will be meeting in Washington D.C. this week, including two from Berkshire County.
Members of Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity (CBHFH) will join hundreds of local Habitat organizations and housing advocates for Habitat on the Hill, the organization's annual legislative meeting. They will be advocating for Congress to take greater action in addressing the growing housing crisis in the United States.
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CBHFH CEO Carolyn Valli and Lead Habitat Community Navigator Tonya Frazier are attending the conference to represent Berkshire County.
'Every day, we see families that still can't afford a safe, stable home,' said Valli. 'Raising our voices is just as important as swinging our hammers when it comes to addressing the affordable housing crisis, and we look forward to working alongside lawmakers to ensure more people have a place to call home.'
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there is a shortage of more than 7 million affordable homes for 10.8 million plus extremely low-income families across the country. Additionally, some 70% of all extremely low-income families pay more than half their income on rent.
Habitat is planning to ask members of Congress to prioritize policies that will increase the number of affordable homes, especially for first-time homebuyers, including the following proposals:
Support a Homeownership Supply Accelerator, Habitat's innovative federal policy concept designed to rapidly increase construction and rehabilitation of affordable starter homes.
Finalize the fiscal year 2025 appropriations process and provide robust funding for housing and community development federal programs in the fiscal year 2026 budget, including:
Department of Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD Bill):
No less than $20 million for the Self-help Homeownership Opportunity Program.
No less than $1.5 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program.
Department of Agriculture (Ag-Rural Development Bill):
No less than $1.25 billion for the USDA Section 502 Direct Loan Program.
Ensure that Congress includes provisions that increase the supply of starter homes in any tax package.
Habitat has led the development of one new concept, a Homeownership Supply Accelerator, which would be a federal resource designed to regrow the nation's stock of starter homes in every community that needs them, at prices affordable for low- and moderate-income homebuyers.
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