Economic development role. Housing affordability supports sustainable economic development in many ways. Employers benefit from a diverse range of housing types and price points near employment centers. 
They recognize that a stable labor force supports planning, productivity, and competitiveness, while long commute times or financial strain can negatively impact performance and reliability. Economic development professionals recognize housing as critical infrastructure, alongside schools, broadband, and healthcare, essential to recruiting and retaining outside investment, good-paying jobs, and dynamic workforce development. Economists know that local housing control helps keep wages circulating within the local economy. 

Fair housing choice = economic opportunity. Fair housing laws give us all the right to live where we choose and can afford. ‘Housing choice’ affects access to essential community assets, such as healthcare, education, and employment. Policies that distribute housing types and prices across neighborhoods and communities support HUD’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule, designed to mitigate decades of de jure discrimination described in Segregated by Design. The resulting housing choice supports community and economic resilience. Always include the voices of diverse populations when evaluating comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, or development.

Inclusive design gets customers in the door. Residential construction that meets basic visitability standards reaches a broader market and enables us to age in place. This reduces overall housing costs, saves Medicaid dollars, and improves community cohesion and quality of life.

Affordability = stability. Since the National Housing Act of 1937, housing costs below 30% of household income were considered affordable. When costs exceed 30%, households are considered housing cost-burdened; above 50%, households are severely cost-burdened. This puts households and communities at risk.

Public subsidy to private equity. Residential speculation and housing scarcity mean a rise in foregone spending— money lost to an economy and tax base owing to housing cost burden—an estimated $1.05B loss for Idaho in 2021 alone (Source: Colorado Futures Center). Housing displacement and instability caused by inflation have triggered a wave of first-time homelessness, with significant individual and social costs. We now understand clearly that ‘Homelessness is a Housing Problem,’ and that accounting for externalized costs is key to sound policy.

Diverse housing markets benefit everyone. When working households, retirees, and others can comfortably meet basic costs associated with local housing, they have more time, money, and energy to invest locally. Communities benefit from less traffic, more stability, and engaged residents. School and job attendance go up, while public costs tied to community health and safety go down. Stable households in socioeconomically diverse communities are better able to build social capital and cultivate supportive networks essential to economic mobility and opportunity, which in turn reduces their overall reliance on social (i.e., taxpayer-funded) assistance. 

NIMBY opposition to affordability or density can increase costs and often has a ‘disparate impact’ on protected classes, perpetuating effects of discriminatory redlining. Developers have successfully sued communities that reject otherwise compliant developments when discriminatory permitting policies or practices are evident.   

“Stable housing lets each of us build the ‘social capital’ needed to reach our full potential.” 

Housing is made affordable either by increasing wages to compensate for high housing costs, using tax supports to subsidize wage and consumer costs, or lowering the net costs of housing location, ownership, condition, and efficiency design. Sustainable housing reflects factors that reduce life-cycle, transportation, and other expenses. 

Local needs require local partners and solutions. A sustainable and diverse range of housing options begins with understanding the role of housing in economic and community development; it also requires teamwork among interested parties. These include housing, community, and economic development professionals, policy makers, building officials, planners, and developers, people with disabilities, seniors (and seniors in training), along with business, corporate, neighborhood, and community leaders who identify local needs and define the scope and direction of planning efforts. Local control of housing and community assets = accountability and stability. 

“Employers know that housing is where jobs go to sleep at night.” 

The Rural West’s housing crisis limits workforce development. Employers throughout rural America say the lack of housing options means they can’t recruit or retain the essential workers they need—from hospitals, education or retail, to construction workers, care providers or first responders. We’re all affected.