PROMOTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING

VIA ZONING REFORM

Jenny Schuetz, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution

While acknowledging that local government has most of the power of zoning and land-use regulations, Jenny Schuetz, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution,  noted “the federal government has some policy levers that could help expand the supply and diversity of housing.”

“Congress should create financial incentives for local governments to revise their zoning in favor of allowing a wider range of structure types, and better integrate federal investments in housing, land use and transportation,” she testified. 

“Local governments and regional planning agencies would also benefit from federally funded technical assistance and clearer guidance on what types of zoning reforms work best in different local housing markets — tasks that fall well within the scope and mission of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.”

Schuetz said accessible housing and the housing needs of people with disabilities is a serious omission in publicly available data and academic research.

“Federal agencies including HUD, HHS, and the Census Bureau should explore ways to address knowledge gaps and support high-quality, policy-relevant research on these topics,” she said of housing needs of people with disabilities. 

“Rising housing costs create more financial stress for low-income households and people living on fixed incomes.”

U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that people with disabilities are the most under- and un-employed of all minorities. 

Underscoring a crisis that marginalizes and denies dignity and quality of life for people with disabilities, Schuetz reported that only about 16 percent of low-income disabled Americans receive housing subsidies.