HR 7326 (ABODE Act) creates a grant program to fund the development or rehabilitation of affordable housing. It directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to award grants to organizations building or rehabbing single- and multi-family homes for households earning 50% or less of the area median income. Projects must prioritize reducing costs, improving energy efficiency, enhancing accessibility for people with disabilities, and using resilient designs. HUD will require grantees to build a set number of homes meeting these standards before receiving full payment, and must report results to Congress within two years.
The MAHA Act of 2026 creates a new $5,000 federal tax credit (doubling to $10,000 for joint filers) for first-time homebuyers who purchase a principal residence during the tax year. It directly affects eligible individuals who haven’t claimed this credit in the prior four years, with the credit phasing out for those earning above $250,000 (individual) or $500,000 (joint) in modified adjusted gross income. The credit reduces tax liability by a fixed amount, not a percentage, and applies to taxable years beginning after the bill’s enactment. This is a tax incentive, not direct housing assistance, aimed at reducing the cost of homeownership for qualifying buyers.
The HOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2025 reauthorizes the HOME program through fiscal year 2029 with annual funding increasing from $5 billion in 2025 to over $6 billion in 2029. The bill makes several key changes including increasing administrative resources from 10% to 15% of funds, eliminating a commitment deadline for using funds, and creating new provisions for small-scale housing (up to 4 rental units) to qualify as affordable housing. It also establishes a new home loan guarantee program with a $2 billion cap for fiscal year 2025, designed to help finance affordable housing development and preservation. These changes directly affect state and local governments administering the HOME program, as well as developers and residents of affordable housing properties.
S 3600 declares a national housing emergency, requiring the President to use the Defense Production Act to boost domestic materials for housing construction and rehabilitation. It temporarily suspends federal environmental reviews for housing projects, removes barriers like zoning restrictions (e.g., minimum lot sizes, parking requirements), and waives certain regulations affecting housing development. States and localities must meet housing growth targets - such as increasing permits or allowing duplexes - to qualify for federal block grants. The bill aims to address a projected 4 million housing shortage by accelerating construction, with the emergency ending when 4 million units are built or by 2031.
The Housing Crisis Response Act of 2025 is a comprehensive federal bill that provides substantial new funding to address the housing affordability crisis. It directly affects low- and moderate-income households, seniors, people with disabilities, and rural communities through expanded access to affordable housing. Key mechanisms include $10 billion for public housing repairs and construction, $15 billion for housing vouchers, $1.8 billion for rural rental housing, and new requirements for housing accessibility and energy efficiency. The bill also establishes a Community Restoration and Revitalization Fund to support community-led housing initiatives and creates new downpayment assistance programs for first-generation homebuyers. Overall, it represents a major federal investment in creating and preserving affordable housing across multiple housing program categories.
The HOME Reform Act of 2025 updates the HOME Investment Partnerships Program to improve affordable housing access. It redefines eligibility by requiring household income to not exceed 100% of the area median family income (replacing vague "low-income" terms), expands infrastructure funding for nonentitlement areas to support housing-related utilities, and adds new definitions for "infill housing projects" (e.g., projects on previously disturbed land within developed areas). Key provisions include exceptions for military members and heirs of deceased homeowners to maintain affordability, streamlined environmental reviews for certain projects, and removal of a 24-month deadline for unused funds. The bill directly affects low-income families, housing developers, and local jurisdictions administering HOME funds.
This bill creates a waiver program allowing counties in mountain communities to calculate housing assistance income limits using ZIP codes or neighboring border counties instead of standard regional formulas. It directly affects 11 federal housing programs administered by HUD and USDA, including Section 8 vouchers, public housing, and Native American housing assistance. The bill also requires HUD to conduct a 2-year study assessing how income calculations impact housing affordability for low-income and seasonal workers in mountain areas, with a focus on high-cost adjustment effects. The study must include recommendations for reforming income calculations to better support affordable housing in these regions.
The Affordable Housing Bond Enhancement Act modifies key provisions related to affordable housing bonds and mortgage credit certificates. It increases the financing limit for qualified home improvement loans from $15,000 to $75,000 (with annual inflation adjustments), eliminates restrictions on refinancing certain mortgages for eligible homeowners, and extends the period for mortgage credit certificates to remain in effect. The bill simplifies reporting requirements by removing lender reporting obligations and shortening public notice periods from 90 to 30 days. These changes primarily affect state and local housing authorities that issue affordable housing bonds and homeowners who qualify for mortgage credit certificates. The legislation aims to make affordable housing financing more accessible and efficient through concrete policy modifications.
The Housing to Homes Act of 2025 amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to allow federal funding through the Continuum of Care Program to cover furniture banks providing household furnishings (including delivery and assembly) to homeless individuals and families transitioning to permanent housing. It defines "furniture poverty" as the inability to access essential household furniture, requiring annual HUD reports on its prevalence and impact. The bill mandates a report on furniture bank payments within three years and specifies that all provided furnishings become the sole property of recipients. This legislation directly affects homeless individuals, families, and qualifying furniture banks, but expires automatically five years after enactment.
The Prevent Homelessness Act of 2025 creates a $100 million annual Housing Stabilization Fund under HUD to provide short-term financial assistance to extremely and very low-income families facing imminent homelessness. The fund provides grants to "continuums of care" (local homelessness service networks) to cover specific housing-related costs like overdue rent, utilities, repairs, and legal aid, with limits on duration (max 8 months within 12 months) and cost (based on local market rates). To qualify, families must demonstrate financial hardship (e.g., eviction notices, health crises) and programs must coordinate with local homeless prioritization systems. The fund’s allocation prioritizes areas with higher homeless or severely cost-burdened populations, using HUD’s Point-In-Time Homeless Count data.
