NLIHC President and CEO Renee M. Willis Joins Housing Affordability Roundtable

NLIHC President and CEO Renee M. Willis joined a housing affordability roundtable on January 7, hosted by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). The roundtable brought together the leaders of national organizations dedicated to advancing fair and affordable housing to highlight the ongoing challenges facing families in need of a safe, affordable place to call home, and federal policy solutions that would make housing more affordable. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) were also in attendance.  

In addition to Ms. Willis, participants included Peggy Bailey, executive vice president for policy and program development at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; Nikitra Bailey, executive vice president of the National Fair Housing Alliance; Lindsay Owens, executive director of Groundwork Collaborative; Nidhi Hegde, executive director of the American Economic Liberties Project; Michael Negron, senior fellow for economic opportunity at the Center for American Progress; Julie Margetta Morgan, president of the Century Foundation; and Dr. Ganesh Sitaraman, director of Vanderbilt University’s Program in Law and Government and the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator for Political Economy and Regulation.   

Minority Leader Schumer and Ranking Member Warren opened the roundtable by emphasizing the impact the growing cost of housing is having on families’ ability to afford other necessities, save money, and plan for the future. Ranking Member Warren also called on her congressional colleagues to enact the bipartisan “ROAD to Housing Act,” which passed the Senate last year but has stalled in the House (see Memo, 12/8/25). Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-SC) co-leads the bill with Ranking Member Warren.  

“Housing is key,” stated Leader Schumer in his remarks. “When you own a home, it gives you hope in the future that every month, you're building equity, you're increasing your own wealth, and you’re building a future for the next generation. We have to make it easier for people to buy a home and afford that down payment. But we also have to make sure that rents stay affordable and competitive.” 

In her opening remarks, Ms. Willis highlighted the ongoing challenges renters with the lowest incomes face in trying to find safe, affordable, accessible homes. She also noted key findings from NLIHC’s annual research reports, The Gap, which looks at the shortage of affordable, available homes by income level, and Out of Reach, which calculates the annual “housing wage” – how much a full-time worker needs to earn per hour to reasonably afford a one- or two-bedroom rental unit in their area, without spending over 30% of their income on rent.  

"In 2025, affordable housing resources faced significant challenges, including directives from the administration to cut the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) workforce in half, proposed historic funding reductions to key programs, and unlawful restrictions on proven homelessness solutions,” said Ms. Willis. “These attacks on affordable housing resources occurred as research showed nearly half of U.S. renter households are cost-burdened, needing to earn $33.63 per hour to afford a modest two-bedroom home at Fair Market Rent. Bipartisan measures like the 'ROAD to Housing Act' are essential for strengthening the housing safety net and reducing instability for renters with the lowest incomes. In 2026, it is vital that policymakers continue efforts to advance affordable housing policies that will close the gap between incomes and current market rents, helping families with the lowest or average incomes remain stably housed." 

Read quotes from other roundtable participants here.