On April 21, the campaign sent a letter to Congress urging them to reject any proposal to cut domestic spending, including investments in affordable housing and homelessness, or cut housing benefits by imposing artificial time limits, work requirements, or rent increases. It is unacceptable to balance the federal budget by slashing programs that help the […]

In contemporary discussions of important societal issues in the United States, two concerns often rise to the surface because of the combination of their severity and urgency. The first is the growing threat of climate change, and the second is the housing crisis that is now being felt in every corner of the country. While […]

As the 118th Congress gets underway, the federal debt ceiling has taken center stage. In early January, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced that the United States would soon breach its debt limit and only ‘extraordinary measures’ by the Treasury Department were preventing a government default. She also emphasized that those measures were temporary, with a […]

The campaign submitted a memorandum to members of the 118th Congress urging policymakers to address one of the most critical issues facing people today: the lack of decent, stable, affordable rental housing. The memorandum outlines the housing crisis facing those with the lowest incomes while also sharing research on the multi-sector impacts of the lack of […]

Over the past two decades, the U.S. has been combating one crisis after another; from mass incarceration, to staving off economic disaster, to widespread racialized inequities, to rising fatal overdose rates, to the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst all this, there is also an ongoing housing crisis, and the closest we have come to addressing it was […]

On September 13, the campaign sent a multi-sector sign-on letter to appropriators urging their FY23 spending bills to include President Biden’s budget request to expand Housing Choice Vouchers to an additional 200,000 households. Rental assistance is a critical tool for helping people with the lowest incomes afford decent, stable homes, and avoid homelessness. But due […]

On June 13, the campaign sent a letter to Congress urging robust housing investments in any future reconciliation legislation for housing vouchers, public housing, and the national Housing Trust Fund (HTF. Specifically, the campaign recommends expanding rental assistance by $25 billion to serve over 300,000 households; investing $65 billion to repair the nation’s public housing infrastructure […]

On April 22, the campaign sent a letter to appropriators urging to include in their FY23 spending bills President Biden’s budget request to expand Housing Choice Vouchers to an additional 200,000 households. Rental assistance is a critical tool for helping people with the lowest incomes afford decent, stable homes, and avoid homelessness. But due to chronic under-funding […]

The federal government has long recognized the importance of housing to the lives of all Americans. Unfortunately, this recognition has been consistently accompanied by outright complicity in the establishment and perpetuation of residential segregation and the resulting inequities. For over a century, the federal government has carried out, reinforced, or intentionally ignored discriminatory practices and […]

On February 10, the campaign sent a letter to appropriators urging that a final FY22 spending bill includes the House proposal to expand Housing Choice Vouchers to an additional 125,000 households. A substantial expansion of rental assistance for people with the lowest incomes is a key element of any successful strategy to solve the affordable housing […]

On January 27, the campaign sent a letter to Congress urging robust investments in the Build Back Better Act for housing vouchers, public housing, and the national Housing Trust Fund. Specifically, the campaign recommends expanding rental assistance by $25 billion to serve over 300,000 households; investing $65 billion to repair the nation’s public housing infrastructure for […]

On January 19, the campaign’s director, Mike Koprowski, sent a letter to appropriators urging that a final FY22 spending bill includes the House proposal to expand Housing Choice Vouchers to an additional 125,000 households. A substantial expansion of rental assistance for people with the lowest incomes is a key element of any successful strategy to solve […]

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities  Children’s HealthWatch National Alliance to End Homelessness National League of Cities Children’s Defense Fund Catholic Charities National Women’s Law Center Healthcare Anchor Network Community of Hope National LGBTQ Task Force Legal Action Center National Network to End Domestic Violence The Arc  Justice in Aging 

On October 6, the campaign sent an updated letter to Congress urging robust investments in the Build Back Better Act for housing vouchers, public housing, and the national Housing Trust Fund. Specifically, the campaign recommends expanding rental assistance by $90 billion to serve an additional one million households; investing $80 billion to repair the nation’s […]

On August 31, the campaign sent a letter to congressional leadership urging them to 1) expand rental assistance by $180 billion, 2) invest $70 billion to repair the nation’s public housing infrastructure, and 3) invest $45 billion in the national Housing Trust Fund. The letter was signed by 43 leading organizations from an array of sectors, […]

Researchers weigh in on the relationships between housing and well-being–and how policies recently introduced in Congress can make a big difference. When thinking about the multi-dimensional impact of housing on peoples’ lives, several examples may come easily to mind. Where you live affects what jobs are available to you and the length of your commute. […]

The Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act is a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Van Hollen (D-MD) and Young (R-IN) that would create new rental vouchers for low-income pregnant people and families with children under age 6 who meet certain criteria (a recent history of homelessness or housing instability, living in an area of concentrated […]

On June 14, the campaign sent a letter to congressional leadership urging them to 1) expand rental assistance to every eligible household, 2) invest $70 billion to preserve public housing. and 3) provide $40 billion to build new homes through the national Housing Trust Fund. The letter was signed by 43 leading organizations from an array of […]

On March 30, the campaign sent a letter to President Biden and HUD Secretary Fudge urging them to 1) expand rental assistance to every eligible household, 2) invest $70 billion to preserve public housing. and 3) provide $40 billion to build new homes through the national Housing Trust Fund. The letter was signed by 39 leading organizations from […]

On March 22, Zero to Three released a brief on the impact of the eviction moratorium on babies. The brief explores the greater risk of eviction faced by families with children, developmental impacts of housing instability and homelessness, which people are covered by the moratorium, and what needs to be done to keep babies housed. […]

Justice in Aging and NLIHC recently co-published an issue brief that explores how housing instability, housing unaffordability, and homelessness impact the low-income senior population. The issue brief explores (1) the intersection of age/ethnicity on rental cost burden, (2) the disproportionate impact of cost burden on older Black and Latinx populations that are rooted in income […]

On January 26, the campaign sent a letter to Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy urging them to 1) provide $30 billion in emergency rental and utility assistance; 2) provide $28 billion in new funding for Housing Choice Vouchers; 3) provide $6 billion in new funding for Emergency Solutions Grants; […]

On January 15, the campaign sent a letter to President-elect Joe Biden, urging him to take immediate action to prevent a catastrophic wave of evictions by issuing an Executive Order extending, improving, and enforcing, until the end of the pandemic, the federal eviction moratorium.  The letter was signed by 63 leading organizations from an array […]

On December 16, the campaign sent a letter to Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), urging him to take immediate action to prevent a catastrophic wave of evictions this winter by extending, improving, and enforcing the federal eviction moratorium.  The letter was signed by 53 leading organizations from […]

On November 12, 2020, the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign sent a memo to President-elect Biden and his transition team, urging the new administration to address affordable housing challenges for people with the greatest needs within its first 100 days in office. Throughout the presidential campaign, President-elect Biden focused on the importance of affordable housing […]

On August 6, 2020, leading organizations from the health sector sent a letter to Congress urging vital housing resources and protections in the next COVID-19 relief package.  Specifically, the letter calls for robust emergency rental assistance, a national eviction moratorium, and expanded funding for homeless assistance.  “Without action from Congress,” the letter reads, “we are […]

On June 1, 2020, members of the campaign’s Steering Committee and Roundtable sent an updated letter to congressional leadership urging the Senate to immediately consider vital housing provisions contained within the HEROES Act and move with urgency towards passage of a final COVID-19 relief bill. Read the letter below: To download, click here.

    Take Action Today View this email in your browser. NEW VOICES FOR AFFORDABLE HOMES   New Opinion Poll Shows the Public is Highly Concerned About Housing Instability During COVID-19 & Expects Major Action  WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the campaign released the results of a major national public opinion poll that it recently commissioned […]

The campaign commissioned a national public opinion poll through Hart Research Associates to assess the public’s opinions and perspectives on issues related to housing instability during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The poll surveyed 1,212 adults nationwide between May 15-20, 2020. To read the press release, click here.  Below you will find a fact sheet; the survey […]

On May 6, 2020, members of the campaign’s Steering Committee and Roundtable sent a letter to Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy urging Congress to include the “Emergency Rental Assistance and Rental Market Stabilization Act” in the next coronavirus relief package.  The bill, proposed by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), […]

On April 13, 2020, members of the campaign’s Steering Committee and Roundtable sent a letter to congressional leadership urging critical housing/homelessness resources in the potential forthcoming “Phase 4” coronavirus relief package.  Signatories include leading national organizations from a range of sectors, such as education, healthcare, civil rights, faith, criminal justice, food security, municipal governance, child […]

On March 17, the campaign’s multi-sector Steering Committee sent a letter to the Senate and House sponsors of the “Pathway to Stable and Affordable Housing for All Act,” (S.2946/H.R.5813), which would effectively end homelessness through full funding for rental assistance, robust investments in the national Housing Trust Fund, and expanded funding for homelessness programs.  The […]

Policymakers from both sides of the aisle agree that a significant investment in infrastructure should be a top priority. To maximize impact, a broad infrastructure package should contain resources to construct and preserve affordable housing for people with the lowest incomes. On March 17, the campaign’s multi-sector Steering Committee sent an updated letter to Speaker […]

On March 12, the campaign sent a letter to Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy urging them to include emergency assistance funding to help prevent housing instability and homelessness as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.  This letter was sent to congressional leadership as they are considering a legislative […]

By Kristine Gonnella, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium The World Health Organization declared 2020 as “The Year of the Nurse and Midwife” in honor of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale’s legacy exemplifies the nursing profession’s embodiment of compassion and commitment to […]

    Take Action Today View this email in your browser. NEW VOICES FOR AFFORDABLE HOMES   U.S. Senators, Experts, and Advocates Convene on Capitol Hill to Discuss Bipartisan Solutions to the Housing Crisis The campaign hosted a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill on January 14 to discuss two major bipartisan housing bills recently introduced in […]

On January 14, 2020, the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing entitled: “On the Brink of Homelessness: How the Affordable Housing Crisis and the Gentrification of America Is Leaving Families Vulnerable.”  The campaign submitted a statement for the record, which you can read below. To download, click here.

By: Douglas Rice, Senior Policy Analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities This piece was originally posted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.  To view the original article click here. A new bill introduced by Senators Todd Young and Chris Van Hollen would give hundreds of thousands of children a better chance […]

By: Ife Floyd, Senior Policy Analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities This piece was originally posted by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.  To view the original article click here. A job loss, illness, or car breakdown shouldn’t threaten a family’s housing, but that’s the reality for many Americans with low incomes […]

    Take Action Today View this email in your browser. NEW VOICES FOR AFFORDABLE HOMES   Debate Moderators (Finally) Ask Housing Question!  For the first time in memory – if not in history – a moderator in a presidential debate asked candidates for their solutions to the nation’s housing affordability crisis.  On November 20, […]

In preparation for the fifth Democratic presidential debate hosted by MSNBC and The Washington Post in Atlanta, the campaign’s multi-sector Steering Committee sent letters to the four moderators (Andrea Mitchell, Rachel Maddow, Kristen Welker, and Ashley Parker) urging them to ask the presidential candidates how they intend to address the growing housing affordability crisis. To […]

In preparation for the fourth Democratic presidential debate hosted by CNN and The New York Times in Westerville, Ohio, the campaign’s multi-sector Steering Committee sent letters to the three moderators (Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper and Marc Lacey) urging them to ask the presidential candidates how they intend to address the growing housing affordability crisis. To […]

By: National Network To End Domestic Violence  Housing is safety for survivors of domestic violence and their children. Access to housing allows victims to break free from abusers and escape homelessness. This is life-changing – and lifesaving – for everyone in the family: I noticed a little boy in shelter wasn’t acting himself. I asked him […]

By Mollyrose Schaffner, Policy Writer/Editor, ZERO TO THREE Just as a home’s foundation is laid first, the groundwork for a child’s strong future is built in the first days, months, and years of life. For babies, a safe, stable, affordable home provides more than just shelter, it is the emotional and social center of family […]

In preparation for the third Democratic presidential debate hosted by ABC and Univision in Houston, the campaign’s multi-sector Steering Committee sent letters to the four moderators (George Stephanopoulos, David Muir, Linsey Davis, and Jorge Ramos) urging them to ask the presidential candidates how they intend to address the growing housing affordability crisis.  

By: Khalil Shahyd – Senior Policy Advocate, Natural Resources Defense Council Having safe, healthy, and affordable housing options is integral to ensuring low-income families have access to sustainable livelihoods, and quality education, and health care. Now, we are beginning to realize the critical role of affordable housing in reducing the negative impacts of climate change while […]

Today, the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign’s multi-sector Steering Committee sent a letter urging Congress to prioritize housing assistance for the nation’s most vulnerable people – and the Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs, in particular – for additional resources when it negotiates final appropriations legislation for FY20. Please read the letter below: To […]

In preparation for the second Democratic presidential debate hosted by CNN in Detroit, the campaign’s multi-sector Steering Committee sent letters to the three moderators (Don Lemon, Dana Bash, and Jake Tapper) urging them to ask the presidential candidates how they intend to address the growing housing affordability crisis.

Published: March 28th, 2019 Maureen Bowling, Lexington, Kentucky A little under four years ago, my children and I were facing homelessness. I was in an abusive relationship that was threatening my life. I had to get out. I had been a stay-at-home mom for over a decade. When I chose to leave that relationship, I […]

Policymakers from both sides of the aisle agree that a significant investment in infrastructure should be a top priority. To maximize impact, a broad infrastructure package should contain resources to construct and preserve affordable housing for people with the lowest incomes. On May 16, the campaign’s multi-sector Steering Committee sent a letter to Majority Leader […]

Unless Congress and the President reach a new budget agreement, both non-defense and defense discretionary program areas will face deep cuts in 2020 and 2021, forced by tight funding limits and additional cuts (known as “sequestration”) mandated by the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA).  Without a new agreement, overall funding would revert to the BCA […]

By: Josh Davis, Vice President of External Affairs, StriveTogether StriveTogether recently joined an array of multi-sector organizations in calling for increased investments in the National Housing Trust Fund.  We are a national movement with a clear purpose: helping every child succeed in school and in life, regardless of race, zip code or circumstance.  We track […]

On March 28, 2019, the campaign released the results of a national public opinion poll that it commissioned through Hart Research Associates.  The poll is the first in several years to extensively assess the extent to which the public considers housing affordability to be a problem in their communities, whether they have had to make […]

The campaign’s state partner in Idaho, the Idaho Asset Building Network (IABN), recently released its “Housing Affordability Chartbook,” an unprecedented report which explores the housing affordability crisis in the state and contains substantial research on the multi-sector spillover impacts.  The chartbook is designed to broaden the housing affordability movement in Idaho by informing multi-sector partners, […]

The campaign hosted a congressional briefing on January 24 with over 110 Capitol Hill staffers and advocates to unveil the release of its national policy agenda, “Within Reach.”  “Within Reach” identifies short- and long-term policy strategies essential for Congress to act on to address the affordable housing crisis in America. NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel […]

On December 20, Campaign Director, Mike Koprowski, sent “thank you” letters to 25 Members of Congress. The letters express gratitude for their recent bills that elevate the issue of affordable homes as a national priority and spark a much-needed conversation about solutions. Please see copies of the letters below:

The Utah Housing Coalition (UHC) hosted its first congressional panel on affordable housing under the banner of the Opportunity Starts at Home multi-sector affordable housing campaign. (UHC is one of the seven state grantees of the national campaign.) The panel focused on the deep intersections between housing, hunger, education, and healthcare in urban and rural […]

By: Evan Carmen, Assistant Director for Aging Policy, B’nai B’rith International Since I started my job at B’nai B’rith International, I have written several blogs being critical of the Trump Administration and Congress’ proposals to cut funding from affordable housing. Over the past twenty months, there have not been many opportunities to applaud our elected representatives […]

This week, Opportunity Starts at Home’s state grantee in Idaho, the Idaho Asset Building Network (IABN), along with four of its multi-sector partners, submitted a letter to Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) supporting the Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act.  Sen. Crapo is the Chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. The […]

On Tuesday, September 18, the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign hosted its first Roundtable meeting. Representatives from 70 multi-sector organizations, including housing, education, healthcare, civil rights, anti-poverty, seniors, faith-based, anti-hunger, veterans, LGBTQ, and more have joined this new initiative designed to foster cross-sector engagement. “America’s affordable housing crisis demands broad, multi-sector attention,” said Mike Koprowski, […]

Coalition Building in California Housing California has been building the capacity of regional partners to educate and engage residents of affordable housing developments in policy advocacy through its Residents United Network (RUN). RUN is a collaboration between Housing California and the Center for Community Change’s Housing Trust Fund Project. This year’s multi-sector partnership with Opportunity Starts at […]

To continue to broaden our multi-sector effort, the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign selected seven state partners to receive capacity-building grants to broaden and diversify each state’s housing coalition to engage other sectors. This effort will ensure that each state has active coalition members from the healthcare, education, civil rights, anti-poverty, and other sectors, in […]

May 2018 What is Opportunity Starts at Home? The Opportunity Starts at Home campaign is a longterm, dynamic, multi-sector housing campaign to meet the rental housing needs of the nation’s lowest income people. Various sectors are recognizing that affordable homes are inextricably linked to their own missions and priorities. Students do better. Patients are healthier. […]

By Marian Wright Edelman Fifty years ago this week the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, became law after passing Congress in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s assassination. The Fair Housing Act prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, religion, […]

Housing affordability is central to other national priorities, like health care, economic growth, food security, education, civil rights, and more. But the affordable housing crisis has reached historic heights, most negatively impacting low-income people. Federal housing assistance is already chronically underfunded and currently faces unprecedented threats. • 1 in 4 renters – 11.4 million households […]

By: The National Alliance to End Homelessness The Opportunity Starts at Home campaign is a long-term effort. Its strategy centers on improving federal policy: how can we incentivize and fund successful interventions that create sustainable housing for everyone?

Chances are high that if you’re reading this website, you’re already in the housing sector.   But the point of the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign is to broaden the movement to many other sectors that also have a vested interest in affordable housing for low-income people.  And we need housing advocates to help recruit […]

At its core, the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign is about getting various sectors (i.e., education, health, civil rights, economic mobility, veterans) to understand the importance of affordable housing, to acknowledge that their own goals are inextricably tied to affordable housing, and to prioritize federal policies that protect and expand affordable housing. Our nation needs […]

The nature and magnitude of the severe shortage of affordable homes demands a broad, multi-sector response. Housing affordability is central to achieving better health, higher educational attainment, and longer lifetime earnings.  It makes sense that leaders from health care, education, civil rights and many other sectors are ready to join in the advocacy to advance […]

To download the full report, click here. To have your organization endorse the National Policy Agenda, click here.  

The goals of the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign are to advance federal housing solutions that: Bridge the growing gap between renter incomes and rising housing costs Provide aid to people experiencing job losses or other economic shocks to avert housing instability or homelessness Expand the affordable housing stock for the lowest income renters Defend […]