At Habitat Lake-Sumter, we believe that safe, affordable homeownership changes lives – and that’s why we advocate for affordable housing policies at the local, state and federal levels.
Recently, we took our advocacy efforts to Washington, D.C., for Habitat on the Hill, Habitat for Humanity’s annual event where volunteers, homeowners and supporters come together to champion housing policies that make a difference.
Our CEO, Danielle Stroud, board members Dionna Alston and Brad Weber, and I joined 400-plus advocates from across the country to make sure our community’s voice is heard.
Our aim was to talk about the importance of home affordability, the current lack of homeownership supply, and some of the legislative priorities that will help families across our nation receive the affordable housing resources they need to thrive.
We joined forces with Habitat for Humanity of St. Augustine/St. Johns County to meet with Rep. John Rutherford and advocate for his support. We also met with Rep. Daniel Webster and shared our legislative asks, along with the local impact that these programs have in Lake County.
Last, we met with newly appointed Senator Ashley Moody’s office to share how federal policies can positively influence the nationwide Habitat network.
Together, we are working to:
1. Increase the supply of affordable homeownership opportunities.
2. Ensure equitable access to homeownership.
3. Improve homeownership resilience for families.
We believe it is critical to invest in existing programs proven to help combat the housing crisis. Delays or reductions in federal housing resources will set back the construction of new homes and prolong the wait for families who are ready to purchase them.
We know that our representatives are diligently working to finalize the FY2025 budget, and we are asking Congress to approve the fiscal year 2025 appropriations process as soon as possible, providing robust funding for vital housing and community development programs.
Because we see the impact of how federal dollars are used locally, across the state and around the nation, we are also asking for support of a variety of programs in the FY2026 budget. These programs include the Self-help Homeownership Opportunity Program, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and the USDA Section 502 Direct Loan Program.
Habitat is also calling on our representatives to ensure that Congress includes provisions that increase the supply of starter homes in any tax package, continues to fund the Community Development Block Grant and maintains the USDA Housing Preservation Grant.
In addition to these programs, we know we need new tools to create accessible homeownership opportunities. 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.
Support for this innovative federal policy concept would lead to a rapid increase in construction and rehabilitation of affordable starter homes, providing home ownership opportunities for families across our nation.
Habitat cannot build our way to this vision ourselves. But by lending our voices to workable policy solutions at all levels of government, we can multiply our efforts to put homeownership within reach of millions more Americans.
To learn more, contact Lacie@HabitatLS.org or 352-483-0434, ext. 146. Visit www.habitatls.org/advocate to view a full list of state and federal legislative priorities, and to learn how you can help Habitat Lake-Sumter advocate for affordable housing solutions.