DASH Act
Sponsored By: Senator Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced
Summary
Expanded federal investments to prevent and house homelessness and build affordable housing.
Show full summary
This bill would create a new national Rental Vouchers for the Homeless program, fund large housing production and preservation initiatives, rewrite Low-Income Housing Tax Credit rules, and create new credits for middle-income housing and first-time buyers.
- Families and youth experiencing homelessness: Would supply targeted vouchers and supportive, low-barrier services with a priority for unaccompanied homeless youth and families with children. It authorizes 250,000 vouchers in FY2026 and 400,000 per year thereafter until HUD determines fewer are needed.
- Rural households and farmworkers: Would fund rural housing reinvestment and preservation and expand rental assistance with authorizations such as $2.5 billion per year for Rural Rental Assistance loans and $250 million per year for rental assistance payments.
- Developers, local governments, and homebuyers: Would reshape LIHTC rules, add a Middle-Income Housing Credit and Neighborhood Homes Credit, and create a refundable first-time homebuyer credit up to $15,000 to lower buyer costs.
*Would authorize multibillion-dollar annual federal spending, including $10.0 billion per year for the Housing Trust Fund and multiple other yearly authorizations, and thus increase federal outlays.*
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
11 provisions identified: 6 benefits, 0 costs, 5 mixed.
Homeowner tax breaks and protections
This bill would create a refundable First-Time Homebuyer Credit equal to 20% of a home's purchase price up to $15,000 for purchases in tax years after 2026, with income and price phase-downs. It would allow a new deduction for some principal-residence losses up to $100,000 (or $50,000 if married filing separately) with an income-based phase-down. The bill would repeal a limit on casualty loss deductions and make permanent the exclusion for discharged qualified principal residence debt after 2025. It would also exclude certain State energy subsidies for qualified residences from taxable income after 2026.
Neighborhood Homes credit for developers
This bill would create a Neighborhood Homes Credit for developers that sell certified affordable homes. For each qualified sale the credit would be the smallest of: your excess development costs over net sale proceeds (with limited agency flexibility), 40% of eligible development costs, or 32% of the national median new-home sale price. Credits must be allocated by an agency and used within five years of allocation, and many definitions and anticircumvention rules would apply for taxable years after 2026.
Bigger Housing Trust Fund allocations
This bill would authorize $10 billion a year for the Housing Trust Fund for each year from FY2026 through FY2036 to help States finance rental housing for very low- and extremely low-income households. It would also authorize $65 million a year (FY2026–FY2031) for State HTF administrative needs, with $15 million set aside for certain U.S. territories. States would have occupancy priorities for homeless families and youth in early years and the Secretary must report proposed formula changes to Congress.
USDA rural housing funding and fixes
This bill would authorize recurring funding for many USDA rural housing programs for FY2026–FY2036, including rental assistance, farm labor housing, and rural rental loans. It would set tenant monthly contributions as the highest of 30% of adjusted monthly income, 10% of monthly income, or any welfare housing designation, with assistance equal to the fair market rent minus that tenant share. The bill would prioritize energy-efficient projects, require a 10% non-grant match for some grantees, and limit rent increases for recipients to no more than 10% in any 12-month period except for specified reasons.
New vouchers and support for renters
This bill would create a large new tenant-based voucher program for people who are homeless or at risk and earn under 50% of area median income. It would fund 250,000 vouchers in 2026 and 400,000 vouchers each year after 2026 until fewer are needed. PHAs must prioritize homeless youth and families, give each voucher household at least 30 minutes per week of service help, and can get funds to pay move-in costs up to three months' rent. The bill would also cap voucher payment standards at 125% of local fair market rent, and it would bar conditioning voucher receipt on services or sobriety.
Refundable renters credit and rules
This bill would create a refundable renters tax credit for qualified buildings and tenants in taxable years after 2025. States would allocate credits and set per-State ceilings, with at least 25% of each State ceiling for nonprofit-owned buildings; the default credit period is 15 years. The credit amount would generally be a percentage of the difference between a market-rent standard and the family's rental payment, and States would set monitoring and renewal rules. The bill would also require that amounts of the renters credit or payments be included in gross income (but not for AMT) and would create a State reserve and payment rules for credit shortfalls and transfers to owners; partnerships and S corporations holding qualified buildings could receive payments equal to credits they could not claim.
Grants and zoning rules to build housing
This bill would create a large pro-housing competitive grant program and related funding for public housing agencies. It would authorize $4 billion a year for the pro-housing grants (FY2026–FY2031) and $500 million for PHA capacity-building (FY2026 and FY2027). The grant program would favor jurisdictions that adopt denser zoning and planning tools and may bar places with certain restrictive rules from getting money starting 180 days after enactment. Places that get HUD funds would also have to report zoning and planning rules.
Changes to housing tax credit rules
This bill would change how the low-income housing tax credit is allocated and valued. It would reserve at least 10% of each State's credit ceiling for middle-income projects that involve qualified nonprofit owners. It would set the State per-person credit amount at $4.30 in 2026 and a $4,965,000 state minimum for 2026, with a 1.25× boost and COLA rules for 2027 and yearly COLA thereafter. It would also limit the credit a building can receive to the amount needed to support the owner's committed affordable share and update purchase-option rules and minimum price calculations for housing credit properties. The DDA boost could treat some Indian and certain rural areas as Difficult Development Areas for projects placed in service after December 31, 2026, but Indian-area DDA treatment would only apply to NAHASDA-assisted or tribal-sponsored projects.
Major changes to housing tax credits
This bill would change how State housing tax credits are allocated and create a new Middle-Income Housing Credit. It would reserve up to 8% of a State ceiling for extremely low-income buildings and allow up to a 150% eligible-basis boost for designated portions, and it would index a State's housing credit ceiling for inflation after 2026. The bill would create a Middle-Income Housing Credit with Secretary-set percentages to meet 15-year present-value targets, add a 130% basis boost in certain areas, allow a 50% basis increase for on-site supportive-services space with long-term service commitments, and limit or change the qualified contract rules and other valuation mechanics.
More rural housing vouchers for renters
If enacted, the Secretary would be allowed to give rural housing vouchers to low-income households who live in certain USDA-financed or assisted properties. This includes properties with loans under sections 514 or 515 that were prepaid, foreclosed, or matured after September 30, 2005, and properties assisted under sections 514 or 516 owned by nonprofits or public agencies. The change would apply on enactment as an amendment to the voucher authority.
Pilot grants for modular housing builders
This bill would create a pilot grant program to support modular affordable housing projects. The Federal share of any project could be no more than 75 percent of project cost. Eligible entities would need to guarantee affordability for more than 20 years. The program would get $2 million per year for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
OR • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov