Page 6 - amm1

U pdate
INDUSTRY
IRental Housing Industry Applauds Introduction of Choice in Affordable Housing Act
n a joint press release, the National ensure more individuals and families can receive Apartment Association (NAA) and the the help they need. We thank Representatives National Multifamily Housing Council Cleaver and Katko for introducing this (NMHC) voiced support for the im-portant legislation today, and Sens. Coons introduction of new, Federal legislation and Cramer for their continuing support and proposed originating in the House of sponsor-ship.”
Representatives, the Choice in Affordable Housing Act (H.R. 6880), a bipartisan bill that aims to increase private sector participation in the Section 8 Housing
Choice Voucher (HCV) Program. The proposed legislation was introduced by Representatives Emanuel Cleaver (D-Missouri) and John Katko (R-New York). The proposed bill parallels Senate legislation (S. 1820) introduced last May by Senators Chris Coons (D-Delaware) and Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota).
NAA and NMHC have long advocated for major improvements to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Section 8 HCV Program which they deem as a crucial part of the solu-tion to our nation’s housing affordability crisis. If passed, the proposed legislation will bolster the HCV program, stabilizing funding, encouraging greater voluntary participation by housing providers and ultimately improving outcomes for low- and moderate-income households throughout the U.S.
“Housing affordability has been a long-standing issue affecting far too many Americans, and NAA is proud to work towards a solution alongside our industry partners and bipartisan members of Con-gress,” said Bob Pinnegar, NAA President and Chief Executive Officer. “Addressing the program-matic inefficiencies, redundancies and burdens surrounding the Section 8 HCV Program is para-mount to addressing housing affordability and will help
6 APRIL 2022 - APARTMENT MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE AMM1/6
“NMHC and the apartment industry have long supported the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program and believe it has the potential to be one of the most effective means of addressing our na-tion’s affordable housing needs, supporting mixed-income communities and improving housing op-portunity across the nation. However, the program’s potential success is limited by too many ineffi-cient, costly and duplicative requirements, which discourage private housing providers from accept-ing vouchers,” said Doug Bibby, NMHC President. “The commonsense reforms included in the Choice in Affordable Housing Act will improve the program for both renters and property owners and increase private housing provider participation, which will increase opportunity for millions of American families and help them find homes in thriving communities with access to good schools, jobs and transportation.”
For more than 26 years, the National Apartment Association (NAA) and the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) have partnered on behalf of America’s apartment industry. Drawing on the knowledge and policy ex-pertise of staff in Washington, D.C., as well as the advocacy power of 145 NAA state and local affiliated associ-ations, NAA and NMHC provide a single voice for developers, owners, and operators of multifamily rental hous-ing. One-third of all Americans rent their housing, and 40 million of them live in an apartment home.