Advocating for Affordable Housing
At South County Habitat for Humanity (SCHH), we advocate to change policies and systems so that we can eliminate barriers to adequate, affordable housing. Our vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
SCHH advocates for:
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Supply & Preservation of Affordable Housing
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Removing Barriers to Accessing Affordable Housing including equitably increasing access to credit
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Optimizing Land Use for Affordable Homes
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Increasing Access to, and the development of, Communities of Opportunity
Resources:
'Housing Talks' with Senator Jack Reed
In October we hosted a virtual round-table discussion with Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed
Watch a recording of the event below!
Special thanks to State Farm for awarding our affiliate with a State Farm Next Gen Advocacy Grant for the event. Since 2007 State Farm has been sparking innovation with the next generation of individuals playing a key role in helping Habitat improve home affordability through advocacy.
Homes RI
Crucial, federal investments in affordable housing are failing to keep up with local needs, so South County Habitat is engaging in broad advocacy initiatives with HomesRI to persuade local and state governments to raise significant new housing resources of their own.
Communities across the country are facing shortages of safe, decent and affordable homes. In many towns and cities, these needs are growing, particularly for affordable rental housing.
Federal housing programs provide crucial resources to help local housing providers meet these challenges. For example, the HOME program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, helps providers build, repair or rehabilitate affordable owner-occupied or rental housing, while also supporting other housing activities. HUD’s Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program, or SHOP, helps nonprofit organizations that use the self-help model acquire land, purchase foreclosed or abandoned properties, and develop the infrastructure needed to build affordable homes for first-time, lower-income homeowners. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Section 502 Direct program provides fixed-rate, low-interest loans to help low- and very-low income families purchase or rehabilitate homes in rural areas.