Stronger — and Louder — Together

Last week, 900 housers and community builders joined us in Washington DC for our sold-out Washington Conference and went to more than 300 meetings on Capitol Hill. These record-breaking numbers aren’t about NAHRO, though I’m very proud of my team for putting together a great event. They’re about the ongoing housing affordability crisis, the strain it’s putting on our nation’s housing agencies, and the growing needs of the communities they serve. Housers are trying to meet increasing needs with decreasing resources, and we all need to speak out about it!

One of my favorite sayings is, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with friends.” No matter how hard each of us works, we won’t solve a huge national problem by ourselves. We need to work together to advance our shared goals. That’s why we convened stakeholders from all across our industry: housing agency leaders and staff; industry partners and suppliers; our partners at HUD, including Secretary Scott Turner, Assistant Secretaries for PIH Ben Hobbs and CPD Ronald Kurtz, and their teams; Congressional staffers; housing lawyers; and more. While we may not agree on everything, we can all align around our shared commitment to build thriving communities with affordable homes for all. 

This was also an opportune time to visit with our representatives on Capitol Hill and advocate for NAHRO’s policy priorities. It was also the day before the 21^st Century ROAD to Housing Act passed the Senate — one of the most substantial pieces of housing legislation we’ve seen in the last decade. Hundreds of NAHRO advocates told their elected officials what the bill would mean for their communities. We thank the Senate for their tireless work and inclusion of impactful provisions that would streamline construction, expand RAD and the Opportunity Zone program, and improve inspection processes, amongst other things. However, NAHRO members also raised concerns about certain changes to the bill. This includes adding language that would increase burdensome reporting requirements for existing MTW agencies, and removing language that would require HUD to study the impact of the Build America, Buy America Act on local homebuilding and maintenance.  

The NAHRO team prepared advocates for their Hill visits with informative sessions, policy priorities, federal- and state-level housing data, and our new economic impact calculator. Our advocates brought the magic ingredients that catalyze numbers and policy into impact and urgency: their experiences as housers as well as stories about their work, their residents, and how stable, affordable housing changes lives and strengthens communities. For that, I am incredibly grateful. 

While our Washington Conference centers around advocacy, that’s not all that happened there! I’d also like to congratulate our 3^rd NAHRO LEAD Program cohort on their graduation and our 4^th NAHRO LEAD Program cohort on the beginning of their training. Thank you and congratulations to our two Advocates of the Year, Peter LiFari and Colorado NAHRO, and to Legislators of the Year Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Mike Flood. We appreciate your dedication and tireless work for your communities. 

So thank you to our NAHRO advocates, their members of Congress, and the partners and colleagues who attended #WashCon26 and worked towards our common goal of thriving communities with affordable homes for all. I’m excited to move our vison forward and continue our conversations in Nashville this summer!