ICYMI: “The Housing Bill is Law. Now What?”
WASHINGTON, D.C.–On September 9, the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders (NAAHL) and the Bipartisan Policy Center partnered for a timely discussion on what comes next now that the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is law.
Speakers examined the law's key reforms, what implementation looks like in practice, and what it means for housing supply at the state and local level.
Key takeaways:
The law's 125+ discrete agency actions have not yet taken effect. Federal agencies, including HUD, must now write the rules, issue guidance, and stand up new programs before communities see real impact.
HUD is operating with roughly 30% fewer staff than 18 months ago, making sequencing and prioritization of its rulemaking workload a critical challenge.
Several high-impact provisions, including the public welfare investment cap increase from 15% to 20%, require no new appropriations and could accelerate affordable housing investment almost immediately.
New grant programs authorized under the law create real opportunities for state and local governments, but many will not be funded until FY2027 at the earliest and even then might not receive the full amount authorized in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
From Sarah Brundage, NAAHL President & CEO:
"What you're hearing from everyone [during this discussion] is a tremendous amount of work for all levels of government and for stakeholders and practitioners to ensure that this bill's intended outcomes really reach communities."
From Aaron Shroyer, NAAHL Director of Policy & Advocacy:
"Nothing from ROAD was self-executing. Before ROAD can reach the people and the places it's supposed to reach, federal agencies have to write rules, issue guidance, and stand up programs."
Track implementation with NAAHL's ROADmap Implementation Guide:
NAAHL has developed a comprehensive matrix tracking all 125+ agency actions required under the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, filterable by agency, action type, and stakeholder. Bookmark and download it at naahl.org/roadmap and check back for updates as agencies roll out their work.