Policies

Housing Task Force

Americans living in rural, urban, and suburban areas face a similar crisis: the high cost of housing. Led by state and local elected officials, the NewDEAL Forum’s Housing Task Force will develop and share smart, pragmatic solutions to address this affordability crisis.

Launched in 2025, the Housing Task Force brings together state and local elected officials along with experts from non-profits and industry to discuss both innovative and proven ways to address the housing crisis facing American families. The Task Force, the first initiative in the Forum’s new Affordability Project, will provide assistance, information, and guidance for state and local elected officials helping them develop actionable policies that address some of the key drivers of this crisis. 

The good news is that many states and localities are already investing in ways to address housing issues. The Housing Task Force will help elected officials share successful policies and interventions that are working, so that these ideas can spread to other areas of the country. 

The Housing Task Force will focus specifically on housing affordability, access, and development. A major reason for this lack of affordability is a lack of supply -- a central part of the group’s work -- but policymakers know that a crisis does not emerge from a single reason. Therefore, the task force will examine a range of other barriers as well. 

During 2025, the task force focuses on issues such as:

  • Regulations and Permitting: America faces a shortage of housing, particularly affordable housing. State and local governments can examine and revise regulations to speed up the process of building new housing units with an eye towards the needs of today and the next generation.

  • Homeowner’s Insurance: Climate change is a major factor influencing often-dramatic increases in insurance for homeowners. From building codes to insurance regulations, there are ways states and local governments can help.

  • Innovation: From 3-D printing to adapting old shipping containers into housing units, state and local governments can learn from those localities that have used innovative ways to address the housing crisis

Read our Report “Addressing Housing Issues: Lessons from the 2024 NewDEAL Forum Ideas Summit”

Group Co-Chairs

  • Zach Conine

    Treasurer, Nevada

  • Royce Duplessis

    State Senator, Louisiana

  • Kesha Hodge Washington

    City Councilmember, Phoenix, AZ