Up for Growth Promotes Affordable Housing and ‘Accessible Growth’

Up for Growth Action describes itself as the only federal advocacy campaign focused solely on breaking down the barriers to affordable and market-rate housing.

“Housing was on the ballot on November 3,” said Mike Kingsella, executive director of the organization. “The next Congress and new administration cannot afford to ignore the immediate and long-term challenges of housing in the United States, because we have a housing shortage that affects nearly every aspect of Americans’ lives. We will be on the front lines of advancing a bipartisan, pro-housing agenda that increases access to high-quality housing in vibrant neighborhoods at prices all Americans can afford,” he said. Their work “supports the creation of affordable homes, jobs, and transit-oriented development — all critical to our country’s economic recovery and growth.”

Up for Growth Action believes that America’s housing crisis is driven by two separate, but interrelated challenges: the nation’s increasing income inequality that prevents widespread access to quality and affordable housing, and a shortage of homes, requiring proactive legislation. The organization focuses on policies that enable communities to build housing needed to meet the country’s 7.3-million-home shortage, as shown by Up for Growth’s research . 

“Improving housing accessibility and affordability across the full spectrum of American society is critical in transforming the communities in which we live, work, play and invest,” said UP for Growth’s Chuck Leitner. “Driving the real estate investment and operating industry’s deeper engagement in addressing these and other housing issues is fundamental in the process and is why our mission is so important.”

Up for Growth Action supports policies focused on tearing down systemic barriers to housing development such as exclusionary zoning, and increasing access to capital for affordable housing development. The organization promotes what it calls “accessible growth” – prioritizing housing production in areas of high economic opportunity, areas that leverage investments in transportation and infrastructure, and in areas where jobs already exist.

Though a relatively new organization, Up for Growth Action already boasts progress in enacting its legislative agenda. In my Oct. 15th column I wrote about its YIMBY (Yes in my Backyard) proposal that was passed by the US House of Representatives but stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate.

The incoming Biden-Harris administration has already outlined a comprehensive housing plan that is aligned with Up for Growth Action, including a focus on reducing exclusionary zoning to increase housing stock, direct investment in housing, and recognizing the relationship between where people live and their wellbeing.