Community Housing Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large]
Introduced
Summary
Large federal investment to build and preserve affordable and shared‑equity housing. The bill funds new grants and financing tools, creates a HUD office to cut zoning barriers, and backs community land trusts and downpayment help nationwide.
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- Redirects and boosts federal housing finance and grants to speed production and preservation, including $1.5 billion per year for the Capital Magnet Fund and a $500 million Shared Equity Housing Fund for FY2027. It expands HOME and Housing Trust Fund authorities and raises certain government‑sponsored enterprise fees to increase HTF support.
- Creates a HUD Office of Community Land Use and Zoning and an Unlocking Possibilities Program to publish zoning data, provide technical assistance, run a regulatory clearinghouse, and help communities adopt location‑efficient housing plans.
- Targets households and rural areas with a nationwide Housing Choice Voucher Downpayment Program funded at $1.0 billion per year and annual rural rental support of $200 million. The bill also makes the Housing Preservation and Revitalization Program permanent, repeals the Faircloth restriction on new public housing, and funds eviction protection grants.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Voucher downpayment help nationwide
If enacted, the bill would fund a national Housing Choice Voucher Downpayment Program at $1 billion per year for each fiscal year 2027 through 2036. HUD would use this money to provide downpayment assistance under the Housing Act to help voucher holders buy homes.
Big federal funding for housing
If enacted, the bill would send large, multi‑year money to core affordable housing programs. It would fund the Housing Trust Fund at $44.5 billion per year for FY2027–FY2036 and the Capital Magnet Fund at $1.5 billion per year for FY2027–FY2036. HOME would get two FY2027 tranches ($9.925 billion and $14.925 billion) available until Sept. 30, 2030, with rules on allocation, limits, and a 15% admin cap on the second tranche. The bill would also provide $50 million for HOME technical assistance and $100 million for HUD administration (available until Sept. 30, 2036).
More shared-equity housing and zoning
If enacted, HUD would create a new Office of Community Land Use and Zoning and a Shared Equity Resource Center to help communities plan shared-equity and community land trust projects. The bill would fund the Unlocking Possibilities Program with $1.646 billion for competitive zoning and planning grants, plus $8 million for research, $3 million for technical help, and $66 million for HUD administration (available through Sept. 30, 2036). It would also create a $500 million Shared Equity Fund in FY2027 for planning and implementation grants; rentals must be affordable to households at or below 80% AMI for 30 years, and ownership units to households at or below 120% AMI. The bill would give $12 million in 2027 to NeighborWorks affiliates to buy homes for shared-equity portfolios and direct the Interior Department to relax some historic-rehab rules within 180 days to help convert upper floors to housing.
Rural housing help and protections
If enacted, the bill would expand rural homeownership and preserve rural rental housing while adding tenant protections. It would authorize $4 billion per year for USDA Section 502 direct loan obligations for FY2027–FY2036 and $148.4 million per year for loan costs, and it would set a 1.0% minimum annual interest rate on those loans as modified by payment assistance. The bill would fund Section 515 rural rental at $200 million per year for FY2027–FY2037 and create a Housing Preservation and Revitalization Program with $200 million per year for FY2027–FY2031. HUD would get new authorities to restructure maturing rural loans, offer 20‑year rental assistance renewals when restructuring is proposed, require plain‑English tenant notices before loan maturity, and give tenants 18 months to move rental assistance with priority at receiving projects. The bill would also fund $10 million per year for eviction‑prevention grants (FY2027–FY2036).
Changes to housing finance rules
If enacted, the bill would change several housing‑finance rules. Federal Home Loan Banks would be required to apply 20% of the prior year's net income to affordable housing contributions starting in FY2027. Two GSE fee references would rise from 4.2 basis points to 10 basis points, which would raise certain GSE fees. The FHFA Director must issue a rule within one year to let the enterprises buy and securitize construction loans. HUD may continue and enter new FHA–Federal Financing Bank rental financing commitments in FY2027 and after.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large]
VT • D
Cosponsors
Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]
IL • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1]
NM • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1]
IL • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4]
GA • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29]
TX • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]
MA • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 6/30/2026
Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]
IL • D
Sponsored 7/15/2026
Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4]
OR • D
Sponsored 8/6/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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