U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is espousing the benefits of the Decent, Affordable, Safe Housing for All (DASH) Act, designed to address homelessness and ensure affordable housing.
The measure seeks to bolster opportunities by expanding homeownership opportunities for young consumers by creating a down payment tax credit for first-time homebuyers.
“Housing is a human right,” Wyden, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said. “Yet, millions of Americans pay more than half of their monthly take-home pay to keep a roof over their head. And more than half a million Americans don’t have housing at all.
Wyden said America is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis.
“And it’s a big challenge that demands big, bold solutions,” he said. “As housing prices skyrocket, a generation of young people are increasingly locked out of homeownership. It’s time America’s lawmakers get with the program and enact 21st-century housing policies that adequately address 21st-century challenges.”
Legislation features include housing everyone experiencing homelessness within five years while prioritizing children and families for placement via a Housing Choice Voucher; expanding health, child care, financial, and nutrition services for families and individuals to stay on a path to unassisted housing stability; and reforming the tax code to strengthen the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to withstand economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic while establishing a Renter’s Tax Credit and Middle-Income Housing Tax Credit (MIHTC).