By Sarita Kelkar, NLIHC Policy Intern
Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) released on January 14 his housing affordability plan, “The Path Home: Rebuilding the American Dream and Restoring Housing Affordability,” which outlines policies that would help address the housing shortage while expanding access to affordable housing opportunities, including homeownership, to more families with low incomes. The agenda is centered around four pillars: increasing the supply of housing, incentivizing faster and more efficient construction through zoning and other regulatory reforms, lowering the cost of rent and making homeownership more affordable, and creating more disaster-resilient communities.
The proposal includes critical reforms to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) that would increase affordable housing development in underserved areas, including Tribal and rural communities, and increase the number of LIHTC units affordable to families with extremely low incomes. These reforms are included in the bipartisan “Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act,” which NLIHC has endorsed (see Memo, 5/5/25). The package also calls for increased landlord participation and voucher availability in the Housing Choice Voucher program, a key component of the NLIHC-endorsed “Choice in Affordable Housing Act.” Sen. Gallego’s plan also encompasses disaster recovery and resiliency, calling for the permanent authorization of the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. Permanent authorization of the CDBG-DR program, outlined in the NLIHC-endorsed, bipartisan “Reforming Disaster Recovery Act,” is a major priority for NLIHC and our Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition.
The plan also includes other NLIHC priorities, including reauthorizing the “Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act,” which would restore the largest source of affordable housing funding for Native communities (see Memo, 9/23/24), and full enforcement of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and related fair housing initiatives to ensure people are able to access safe, affordable homes in communities of their choice (see Memo, 9/29/25). Senator Gallego’s plan also calls for federally-funded homelessness assistance programs to rely on evidence-based practices proven to help end homelessness, like housing with voluntary supportive services (see Memo, 9/14/25).
Read more about Senator Gallego’s housing plan here.