Press Releases

Bellows Falls, VT - Today, Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL) introduced her first major piece of legislation of her first term: the Community Housing Act (CHA). This ambitious plan invests over $500 billion in federal programs that fund the construction of affordable and deeply affordable housing. The CHA embraces perpetually affordable housing through a community land trust which means a nonprofit organization of residents that jointly stewards community assets, guaranteeing that housing on that land stays affordable and inclusive. The bill includes a suite of creative policy solutions to address root causes of the housing crisis and alleviate long term affordability challenges. 

“The Community Housing Act is designed to tackle some of the biggest barriers to addressing our housing crisis, here in Vermont and across the country. CHA offers creative solutions and big, bold investments. Hundreds of billions of dollars in housing investments. Because that’s wht’s needed,” said Rep. Becca Balint. “So many Vermont families face the crushing burden of the housing crisis. We need real policy solutions to alleviate the national housing crisis by encouraging the creation of more affordable, community-based housing. I’m grateful for the partnerships in Vermont and across the country for their support and I look forward to our work to alleviate this burden on working families everywhere.” 

The Community Housing Act addresses the housing crisis by: 

• Increasing the supply of affordable housing.  

• Ensuring that affordable housing stays affordable for the long run.  

• Giving renters the support they need to stay in their homes.  

• Encouraging revamping zoning codes to eliminate barriers to more affordable housing construction. 

• Giving antitrust enforcers the information they need to prosecute digital price fixing by landlords.  

• Strengthening and preserving pathways to homeownership.  

• Supporting affordable homes and apartments for rural residents.  

The bill is co-led by chair of the Congressional Renters Caucus, Jimmy Gomez (CA-34). 

“The Community Housing Act gets to the core of why I founded the Renters Caucus—to build a coalition of policymakers like Rep. Balint who will find creative solutions to address the housing crisis. I’m proud to introduce this sweeping legislation with my Renters Caucus colleague to make housing more affordable and accessible for all communities—from rural Vermont to my densely populated district in Los Angeles,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez. “I will work to ensure our 34-member strong caucus throws our full support behind advancing this important bill to tackle the housing crisis head-on.” 

“More than ever, bold policies are needed to ensure that people with the lowest incomes and the most marginalized people have a stable, affordable home. I applaud Representative Balint for introducing legislation to provide historic investments in proven solutions, such as the national Housing Trust Fund and emergency rental assistance, at the scale needed to help millions of low-income people obtain the stable, affordable, and accessible homes they need to thrive,” said Diane Yentel, President and CEO, National Low Income Housing Coalition  

“The Community Housing Act represents a comprehensive solution to America’s shortage of affordable housing. The bill establishes a federal infrastructure to support shared equity housing and enables us to invest in public housing again. Both of these supply-side strategies complement market-based solutions like the Housing Trust Fund. The bill also recognizes that developing so much housing will take time. In the interim, people will continue to face affordability challenges. Therefore, the bill establishes a permanent emergency rental assistance program and funds free legal assistance programs to aid people at risk of eviction. The Community Housing Act provides immediate relief to people who can’t afford housing today and rebuilds the federal government’s capacity to prevent high housing costs altogether in the future,” said Jesse Fairbanks, policy analyst, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP).

“The Champlain Housing Trust stands ready to work with Congresswoman Balint and others to address the housing needs of low and middle income Vermonters, and particularly appreciates the emphasis in this proposal of prioritizing permanently affordable housing, including shared equity homeownership,” said Michael Monte, Chief Executive Officer, Champlain Housing Trust.

“The National NeighborWorks Association (NNA) endorses and applauds the efforts of Rep. Balint through the Community Housing Act to create solutions in addressing our nation’s affordable housing crisis. Addressing the need for resources, regulation, and policy improvements is the roadmap to increasing the supply of affordable housing and provides the foundation for the success of our members’ residents and communities,” said Lou Tisler, Executive Director, National Neighborworks Association.

“This bill comes at a time when Vermonters are facing incredible hardship due to the lack of housing. Bold investments in perpetually affordable homes directly addresses the need for new homes right now and ensures that future generations of Vermonters will continue to benefit from these investments.  We thank the Congresswoman for supporting solutions that address the unique needs of our rural communities and that strengthen the very foundation of our community’s well being and the stability of our neighborhoods,” said Elizabeth Bridgewater, Windham & Windsor Housing Trust.

“The Community Housing Act would help address the housing needs of Vermont's rural renters and homeowners and provide needed funding to help address Vermont's acute shortage of affordable housing,” said Frank Knaack, Executive Director of Housing and Homeless Alliance of Vermont. 

The bill is endorsed by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), National NeighborWorks Association (NNA), Grounded Solutions Network, Champlain Housing Trust, Housing and Homeless Alliance of Vermont (HHAV), Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB), Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). 

One pager on the bill can be found here. 

The bill text can be found here.