Steel Markets
July 16, 2021
NAHB Seeks Help from Congress on More Affordable Housing
Written by David Schollaert
Testifying before Congress last week, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) CEO Jerry Howard called on lawmakers to enact key policies that will ensure access to good housing for all Americans. During the subcommittee hearing, Howard noted that such policies will help home builders expand the housing supply, reduce the housing deficit and improve housing affordability.
“Over the past decade, the residential construction industry has underbuilt and not kept pace with demand due to several supply-side constraints,” said Howard. “These include a lack of skilled labor and buildable lots, tight lending conditions, shortages and rapidly rising prices for building materials, and excessive regulatory burdens that have added approximately 25% to the cost of a single-family home and 33% to a multifamily unit. Progress must be made on all fronts to ease the supply-side challenges that are holding back housing production.”
