Press Release

Introducing Building Affordability: The Progressive Agenda to Solve America’s Housing Crisis

06. 10. 2026

Broken markets and broken incomes created America’s housing crisis. A new framework charts a path to confront both and deliver affordable housing.

Washington, D.C. —Today, Economic Security Project (ESP) released Building Affordability: A Policy Agenda for America’s Housing Crisis, outlining core policy ideas to put affordable housing within reach for all Americans. Authored by Economic Security Project Vice President of Policy & Research Mike Konczal, Director of Policy & Research Becky Chao, and Ned Resnikoff, the agenda draws from the field’s most salient proposals to increase housing supply, and calls for strengthening tenant protections to make sure every American can afford homes that exist today.

Housing is central to the affordability crisis. Families feel the squeeze each month when the rent or mortgage is due, and it’s the biggest line item in most household budgets. Costs have skyrocketed in the past few decades, but incomes haven’t risen to match. America is missing between 2 to 7 million homes to meet current demand, and market constraints prevent developers from building more. Young Americans are already bearing the brunt of this crisis, with voters under 40 more concerned about their ability to afford housing than any other expense, and the financial precarity caused by the housing crisis will only worsen for the next generation unless we act now. 

ESP’s Affordability Framework, released in October, identifies broken markets and broken incomes across sectors as dual drivers of the affordability crisis squeezing Americans. Building Affordability applies this framework to housing, making the case that broken markets halt the development of new housing while broken incomes have fallen short of rising costs, pushing existing housing out of reach for many families. Any policy agenda that seeks to effectively solve the housing crisis must address both. 

To that end, Building Affordability introduces five key policy areas to address broken housing markets through incentives and innovation and broken incomes by expanding cash assistance and protections for renters. The full report is HERE, and a summary of our recommendations is below: 


Broken Markets 

  1. Reform Land Use
    • End Exclusionary Zoning: Incentivize states and localities to reform restrictive zoning codes, to achieve measurable affordability outcomes
    • Update and Standardize Building Codes: Reform outdated building codes to allow a more diverse range of housing types
  2. Expand Housing Public Options 
    • Build Social Housing: Finance and acquire housing developments modeled after successful social housing programs
    • Repeal the Faircloth Amendment: Remove the federal cap on public housing units that has effectively halted new construction since 1998
  3. EmbraceIndustrial Policy
    • Invest in Housing Innovation: Offer federal loans to companies developing novel multifamily construction techniques
    • Reform Federal Funding: Reform federal housing finance institutions to lower construction lending costs and boost multifamily housing production.

Broken Incomes

  1. Enhance Cash & Cash-Like Support
    • Expand Direct Cash Assistance: Reform housing vouchers into universal cash grants for eligible households with supplemental aid for those at risk
    • Make LIHTC Work Better for Low-Income Renters: Increase funding and broaden eligible project types, including mixed-income developments
  2. Strengthen and Enforce Tenant Protections
    • Stabilize Rents for Older Rental Properties: Cap rent increases on units more than 15 years old while exempting new construction
    • Prevent Evictions Without Just Cause: Limit the conditions under which landlords can legally evict tenants