The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is the largest bipartisan housing legislation in a generation. It became law earlier this month, and builds on several state and local efforts that housing experts have been discussing for many years. The law contains several measures designed to speed up building in hopes of backfilling a housing shortage: it contains restrictions on institutional investors, streamlines construction processes, and provides supports for affordable housing. While the impacts of some aspects of the law may not be felt for years, others will be felt more quickly.

One part of the law removes regulatory, zoning and financing barriers, helping home builders create more housing, and that will stabilize or bring down prices. The new law codifies protections for tenants in public housing that has gone private, though the Housing Choice voucher program. And it authorizes a pilot program for smaller mortgages, which are hard to come by except in rural areas. There are also changes to rules about manufactured homes (what you probably think of as trailers). The law will make it easier to get loans to buy these homes, and it removes a requirement that the homes sit on a steel chassis, which could make them cheaper to build and buy. 

The National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) produced resources for housing advocates to better understand the new law. There are still opportunities for advocacy on how the bill will be implemented. Policies, programs, and reforms will go through the rulemaking process, during which advocates can provide input on how programs are administered. Advocates can also work with their local governments to incorporate priorities as programs are carried out.