Sykes, Lee, and Evans Introduce the Keep Affordable Housing in Forgotten Communities Act
Legislation to Preserve Affordable Housing and Prevent Displacement in Revitalizing Communities
Akron, OH – U.S. Representatives Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Summer Lee (PA-12), and Dwight Evans (PA-03) introduced the Keep Affordable Housing in Forgotten Communities Act, landmark legislation designed to safeguard affordable housing in neighborhoods undergoing redevelopment. This bill builds on the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program (RCP) to ensure that critical revitalization efforts don't result in the displacement of long-term residents.
“Communities are made strong by the people who live in them. That’s why I am working to increase housing affordability and to protect longtime residents from being displaced from their neighborhoods as they undergo revitalization,” said Rep. Sykes. “I am proud to introduce this bill with my colleagues, Reps. Lee and Evans, to ensure that working families can afford to live in the communities they’ve called home for generations.”
"For far too long, infrastructure projects and revitalization efforts have failed to prioritize affordable housing, pushing out the very people who stuck through the hardest times," said Rep. Lee. "This legislation puts the needs of working-class families first and ensures that revitalization efforts aren’t at the expense of the residents who have called these communities home for decades. It's about justice, it's about dignity, and it's about keeping housing affordable for those who need it most."
“As a co-lead sponsor of the Reconnecting Communities program in the Biden-Harris administration’s Infrastructure and Jobs Act, I see this affordable-housing bill as a useful complement to that law. It would build on that effort to protect vulnerable communities and help their residents to benefit from redevelopment” said Rep. Evans.
As communities across the country work to revitalize towns and cities, residents who have lived in these neighborhoods for generations are often priced out by rising rents and private equity buyouts. The Keep Affordable Housing in Forgotten Communities Act addresses this issue by promoting the use of Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and other affordable housing models to ensure long-term affordability and community stability.
Key Provisions of the Keep Affordable Housing in Forgotten Communities Act:
- Preserving Long-Term Affordability: Promotes the use of Community Land Trusts (CLTs) to maintain affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents for at least 30 years.
- Preventing Displacement: Empowers grant recipients to incorporate affordable housing solutions from the outset of infrastructure redevelopment projects to protect residents from displacement.
- Encouraging Inclusive Housing Options: Supports shared equity homeownership models, resident-owned communities, and rental programs that prioritize affordability and community control.
- Proactive Planning for Affordable Housing: Allows funds to be used to purchase properties near redevelopment projects for affordable housing through CLTs, land banks, and nonprofits.
- Increasing Transparency and Accountability: Requires a joint report from the Department of Transportation and HUD to track rent, homeownership costs, and demographic shifts in areas impacted by the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, ensuring affordability goals are met.
Rep. Sykes is Vice Chair of the New Democrat Coalition Affordable Housing Task Force. Last week, Rep. Sykes introduced the Stop Predatory Investing Act to restrict tax breaks for big corporate investors that buy up homes, often driving up local housing prices and rents. This legislation would prohibit an investor who acquires 50 or more single-family rental homes from deducting interest or depreciation on those properties. Earlier this year, Rep. Sykes hosted U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge in Ohio’s 13th District to highlight HUD’s investments in local efforts to improve access to safe, affordable housing.