Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) called for a $500 billion investment in affordable housing, among other initiatives, to tackle the current challenges facing homeowners and renters.

Since being elected to Congress in 2022, she has signed several bills related to housing. This most recent one, called the Community Housing Act (CHA), calls for new measures preventing landlords from price-fixing and the removal of zoning barriers that prevent housing construction, in addition to the injection of funds.

“So many Vermont families face the crushing burden of the housing crisis,” Balint said in a statement about her bill. “CHA offers creative solutions and big, bold investments. Hundreds of billions of dollars in housing investments. Because that’s what’s needed.”

According to a release about the proposed legislation, if passed, the CHA will:

• Increase the supply of affordable housing.
• Ensure affordable housing stays affordable “for the long run.”
• Give renters the support they need to stay in their homes.
• Encourage revamping zoning codes to eliminate barriers to more affordable housing construction.
• Give antitrust enforcers the information they need to prosecute digital price fixing by landlords.
• Strengthen and preserve pathways to homeownership.
• Support affordable homes and apartments for rural residents.

“The Community Housing Act gets to the core of why I founded the Renters Caucus – to build a coalition of policymakers like Rep. Balint who will find creative solutions to address the housing crisis,” said Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), who co-led the bill. “I’m proud to introduce this sweeping legislation with my Renters Caucus colleague to make housing more affordable and accessible for all communities – from rural Vermont to my densely populated district in Los Angeles. I will work to ensure our 34-member strong caucus throws our full support behind advancing this important bill to tackle the housing crisis head-on.”

Interest groups like the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), the Center for Law and Policy, the National NeighborWorks Association, and the Champlain Housing Trust all voiced their support of the solutions proposed in the CHA.

“More than ever, bold policies are needed to ensure that people with the lowest incomes and the most marginalized people have a stable, affordable home,” NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel said. “I applaud Rep. Balint for introducing legislation to provide historic investments in proven solutions, such as the National Housing Trust Fund and emergency rental assistance, at the scale needed to help millions of low-income people obtain the stable, affordable, and accessible homes they need to thrive.”