House Passes Tlaib’s Housing Our Communities Act in Bipartisan Legislative Package 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) announced that the House of Representatives passed her legislation Housing Our Communities Act as part of a bipartisan legislative package H.R. 6644 – Housing for the 21st Century Act, by a vote of 390 to 9. Rep. Tlaib’s Housing Our Communities Act will help communities across the country plan for and deliver more affordable housing by providing federal grants to local, regional, and state governments and agencies.

The need is especially urgent in communities like Detroit, where chronic homelessness increased by 33 percent last year, underscoring the consequences of underinvestment and policy barriers that limit housing production and affordability. As families across the country face an escalating housing crisis, the bill directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a competitive grant program to support a broad array of planning and implementation activities tied to affordable housing. The program would help states, cities, urban counties, and regional planning agencies strengthen housing plans, update zoning codes, increase inspection capacity, reduce barriers to housing supply, and better coordinate housing with transportation and community development goals, among other activities.

“Our country is facing a deepening affordability crisis, and families across our district are in dire need of more affordable housing options,” said Congresswoman Tlaib. “State and local governments desperately need federal investments to equip them with the resources to fight the affordable housing crisis at every level. This bill provides civil servants and policymakers with the support they need to make affordable housing a reality in their communities.”

The legislation recognizes that many local officials are eager to expand affordable housing but need additional assistance to do so effectively. Grants could facilitate faster housing inspections to reduce delays and costs, planning that increases access to public transportation and economic opportunities, and strategies that improve accessibility for people with disabilities or advance sustainable development.

The Housing Our Communities Act prioritizes coordination with transit agencies, limits administrative costs, and allows funds to be used for planning, implementation, and housing construction. The bill aims to ensure that rising housing demand results in more homes being built, rather than higher prices for families already stretched thin amidst the affordability crisis. Although it is a strong step in the right direction, this bill alone will not solve our housing crisis. We must build millions of additional units, strengthen tenant protections, and dramatically increase federal subsidies to ensure that housing is actually affordable for all families. 

The text of the legislation can be found here.

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