New affordable housing law has something for 'everybody,' expert says

Wisconsin housing advocates and lawmakers are optimistic that a new federal law will help address the state’s shortage of affordable housing, but how agencies will fund and implement provisions in the law remains to be seen.

Known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the law is a sweeping package of measures that touch many corners of the housing industry and largely aims to increase the country’s stock of affordable housing.

The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, which oversees affordable housing in the state, has called the bipartisan law “the most significant update to affordable housing programs in the United States in decades.”...

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Leo's notes: The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act represents a meaningful shift toward treating housing supply as a national economic issue, with reforms touching permitting, manufactured housing, home repair, infill development and pre-approved housing designs. For Wisconsin, provisions protecting rural rental housing and incentivizing local zoning reform could be especially valuable, but authorization alone will not build homes—the real measure of this legislation will be whether Congress and federal agencies provide the funding and implementation needed to turn these new tools into actual housing production.