Representative Balint Reintroduces “Community Housing Act” Including Investments in Housing Trust Fund, Rural Housing, and Eviction Prevention

By Libby O’Neill, NLIHC Senior Policy Analyst 

Representative Rebecca Balint (D-VT) reintroduced the “Community Housing Act” (H.R.9540) on June 30. The bill includes major investments in deeply affordable housing supply through the National Housing Trust Fund, authorizes and funds vital rural housing preservation programs, and provides funding for legal assistance for households at risk of eviction. NLIHC has endorsed the bill and commends Rep. Balint for introducing legislation to address housing stability for renters with the greatest needs.  

“Across the nation, households with the lowest incomes continue to face rising cost burdens and housing instability,” NLIHC President and CEO Renee M. Willis said in a press release. “To address this crisis, we need sustained investments in programs that provide deep affordability and stability for these families...I thank Representative Balint for focusing on the needs of low-income renters in this bold legislation.” 

The “Community Housing Act” includes several provisions that would address the needs of low-income renters. The bill would: 

• Invest $450 billion in the National Housing Trust Fund over 10 years. The National Housing Trust Fund is the only federal resource specifically targeted to developing and preserving rental homes for extremely low-income (ELI) renters. 
• Repeal the Faircloth Amendment, which limits new development of public housing. 
• Fund the HUD Eviction Protection Grant Program, which provides free legal assistance for low-income renters at risk of, or subject to, eviction. 
• Authorize and increase funding for USDA’s Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization Program (MPR), which provides tools to preserve rural rental housing. 
• Allow for the “decoupling” of rental assistance from expiring loans at multifamily rural properties, ensuring that renters continue to receive rental assistance in the long term. 
• Appropriate $200 million annually over 10 years for the USDA Section 515 program, which provides financing for affordable housing in rural areas.  

According to NLIHC’s The Gap Report, ELI households face the most severe shortage of affordable and available rental homes—only 35 affordable and available rental homes exist for every 100 ELI renter households. Eighty-seven percent of ELI renter households are cost-burdened, spending over a third of their income on housing expenses. To address these challenges, NLIHC urges Congress to make sustained investments in proven solutions that create deeply affordable supply, preserve existing affordable housing, and provide stability for renters via rental assistance and other supports. The “Community Housing Act” would make impactful investments to provide more housing and keep families in their homes.  

Read Representative Balint’s press release here. 

Read the bill text here. 

Read a section-by-section summary of the bill here.