The United for Homes (UFH) campaign website features short videos summarizing the UFH campaign’s call for modest reforms to the mortgage interest deduction (MID) that would benefit millions of low and moderate income homeowners and generate billions of dollars in savings to invest in affordable rental housing.
The UFH campaign calls for reducing the portion of a mortgage eligible for a tax break from $1 million to $500,000, impacting fewer than 6% of mortgage holders nationwide, and converting the MID into a tax credit. Nationally, these two changes would allow 15 million more low and moderate income homeowners who do not currently benefit from the MID to receive tax relief and would generate $241 billion over ten years to invest in affordable rental housing solutions like the national Housing Trust Fund and Housing Choice Vouchers.
The UFH website provides two short videos that highlight the extent of the affordable housing crisis in America and the simple solutions that can be taken to help low income households obtain a stable and affordable home. They describe the current state of housing affordability in America and the simple solutions that can be pursued through MID reform to ensure everyone in America has access to affordable, stable, decent housing. The videos succinctly summarize the UFH proposal and outline reasons to join the campaign. The newest video features NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel; Children’s Health Watch Pediatrician Megan Sandel; former Cato Institute Director of Financial Regulation Studies Mark Calabria; Martha Weatherspoon, NLIHC board secretary and a resident of public housing; Suzette Walker, a lower income homeowner. This video debuted at the NLIHC Housing Policy Forum on April 3.
NLIHC encourages UFH endorsers and other affordable housing advocates to share these videos on social media and with the news media, elected officials, and other stakeholders. The videos’ visual messages powerfully illustrate the importance of investing in housing for people with the greatest needs and present the solution for doing so without spending additional federal resources.
Visit the UFH campaign website at: http://www.unitedforhomes.org/