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MReport December 2020

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58 | M REPORT O R I G I NAT I O N S E R V I C I N G DATA G O V E R N M E N T S E C O N DA R Y M A R K E T THE LATEST DATA Advocating for Housing Availability is central pro-housing policy. H ousing equality—along with vanquishing systemic barriers and the creation of addi - tional homes—is front and center for a campaign called Up for Growth Action, a 501(c)(4) federal pro-housing legislative advocacy campaign pushing for pro-housing policies at the federal level, ac - cording to Upforgrowth.org. Up for Growth Action is unique, according to its opera- tors, in that it is the lone federal advocacy campaign that hones exclusively on toppling obstacles to affordable and market-rate housing. The initiative focuses on exclusionary zoning and dis - criminatory land-use policies that exacerbate the country's 7.3-mil- lion-home shortage. Escalating income inequal- ity, which stands in the way of widespread access to quality and affordable housing, coupled with a profound shortage of homes— both of which require proactive legislative solutions—is spurring America's housing crisis. The focus of Up for Growth Action is policies paving the way for communities to create housing integral to meeting the country's 7.3 million-home shortage, as ascertained by the organization's research. "Whether it's the millions of Americans who have fallen behind on rent during the pandemic, or the millions more who were already struggling to cover the cost of housing before COVID-19, housing was on the ballot on November 3," said Mike Kingsella, Executive Director of Up for Growth Action. The next Congress and new administration cannot afford to ignore the imme - diate and long-term challenges of housing in the United States be- cause we have a housing shortage that affects nearly every aspect of Americans' lives, he continued. While Up for Growth Action hasn't been around long, it has been active, boasting progress to - ward enacting its legislative agen- da. Earlier in the year, with no dissent, the Yes In My Backyard Act passed the U.S. House. Up for Growth author, Mike Kingsella interviewed several member-experts from smaller cities about the housing challenges they've seen and what policies if enacted, would make the most significant positive difference. "Though they represent differ - ent types of communities located hundreds of miles apart, some similarities in their experiences emerge," Kingsella wrote. For ex - ample, two interviewees indicated that "various local, state, and federal tax incentives or programs are not currently geared to create affordable housing options in their communities. [Another] shared that zoning restrictions are mak - ing it harder to build the housing needed to keep up with housing demand." "Whether it's the millions of Americans who have fallen behind on rent during the pandemic, or the millions more who were already struggling to cover the cost of housing before COVID-19, housing was on the ballot on November 3" —Mike Kingsella, Executive Director, Up for Growth Action

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