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WASHINGTON – U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge on Wednesday launched the Our Way Home initiative, a new effort to boost the nation’s affordable housing supply. Our Way Home builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s actions to address communities’ housing supply needs in an equitable, inclusive, and sustainable fashion.

Our Way Home is a national initiative that uplifts the unique housing supply successes in local communities and connects cities, counties, Tribal communities, states, and U.S. Territories to the tools and resources needed to help preserve and produce affordable housing in their area.

“Easing the burden of housing costs for families is a top economic priority for this Administration,” said Secretary Fudge. “For too long and in too many communities, housing supply has not kept up with the growing demand. It’s going to take government working at all levels to help close the housing supply gap. I am excited to launch Our Way Home, an initiative that will not only build on the momentum that’s already begun at the federal level, but will also put into focus the unique challenges and successes in communities when it comes to making sure we all find our way home.”

On Wednesday morning, Secretary Fudge will be joined by Mayor Muriel Bowser to formally launch Our Way Home during an event at the Spring Flats affordable housing complex in Washington, DC. On Wednesday afternoon, Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman will travel to Wilmington, Delaware for a roundtable with U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Tom Carper.

Our Way Home builds on HUD’s commitment to state, tribal, and local leaders to help them utilize federal resources and funding to meet their affordable housing supply needs, and to build new and preserve existing units of affordable housing – rental and homeownership – into their pipelines.

Last month, the Biden-Harris Administration announced its Housing Supply Action Plan, which included over a dozen legislative and administrative steps aim to close the housing supply gap within the next five years.

“The shortage of affordable housing has been growing for decades – but this is a solvable crisis,” said Secretary Fudge. “Across the country, we are seeing many communities ending exclusionary zoning, building affordable housing in communities that previously did not allow it. We are seeing communities use innovative building models and materials, and design homes that are sustainable and resilient. And we’re seeing communities tackle homelessness by building permanent affordable housing with services. These are the types of community wins that we want to elevate with Our Way Home and encourage others to follow.”

Through the American Rescue Plan, communities now have historic levels of housing resources, including $5 billion in HOME grants and significant investments to preserve and protect housing on tribal lands, to help more Americans obtain stable housing.

As part of the Our Way Home initiative, HUD will continue to elevate community wins and learn from communities that are building and preserving affordable homes. The Department will be engaging communities in discussions on housing supply policies and resources in the coming months.

To learn more about the Our Way Home initiative, visit: hud.gov/ourwayhome.