The stakes in 2026 are extraordinary. The 10 Year Roadmap for Public Housing Sustainability’s Interim Report(link is external) established that preserving the nation’s public housing portfolio will require approximately $169.1 billion. That figure is not an abstraction; it represents the roofs, plumbing, electrical systems, and elevators that nearly 1.5 million people depend on every day. At the same time, PHAs are managing the end of Emergency Housing Vouchers, navigating HUD operational disruptions, absorbing increased insurance and rent costs, and working to comply with new regulatory requirements like HOTMA and NSPIRE while the systems needed to implement them remain incomplete.
But there is also remarkable momentum. For the first time in nearly a decade, Congress has advanced comprehensive bipartisan housing legislation through both chambers. The Housing for the 21st Century Act and the ROAD to Housing Act share a core premise that CLPHA has long championed, which is that the housing crisis demands more supply, less red tape, and stronger public-private partnerships. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has already expanded the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and lowered the bond financing threshold, creating immediate new opportunities for PHA-led development and preservation. These are not abstract policy debates; they are tools PHAs need right now.
CLPHA Announces 2026 Legislative and Regulatory Priorities
Our nation is facing an unprecedented housing crisis, but there is strong bipartisan support for addressing housing supply and preservation challenges. The role of PHAs as affordable housing developers is growing, and PHAs will be crucial to increasing housing supply and preserving affordable units across the country.
Affordable housing development is a significant driver of economic growth. Congress and the second Trump Administration should expand opportunities for PHAs to boost affordable housing supply through regulatory streamlining, expanded tax credits for public-private partnerships, and new preservation tools. Opportunity Zones can also play an important role in expanding affordable housing development.
PHAs also operate and manage the majority of federal rental assistance programs in their communities and provide rent subsidies to private owners on behalf of low-income households. Funding disruptions not only put millions of households at risk for housing instability, but also cause local businesses and economies to experience significant negative impacts. Therefore, it is critical that congressionally authorized funding be available to PHAs in a timely manner so that their operations are not interrupted.
Because PHAs are key stakeholders in their local communities, it is critical that they receive the funds, flexibility, and federal support for their operations so that residents, landlords, private owners, and local economies can thrive.
