(BPRW) National Urban League Urges Congress to Build on Bipartisan 21st Century Road to Housing Act

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE URGES CONGRESS TO BUILD ON BIPARTISAN 21ST CENTURY ROAD TO HOUSING ACT WITH A COMPREHENSIVE NATIONAL HOUSING AGENDA

(Black PR Wire) NEW YORK (July 14, 2026) — While commending members for the bipartisan passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the National Urban League today asked Congress to build a national housing agenda that makes housing affordable, accessible, fairly financed, and wealth-building for working families and communities of color. 

“The nation’s housing crisis demands bold, innovative action,” National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial wrote in a letter to congressional leaders. “The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is an important and necessary response.

“At the same time, this legislation must be understood as a first step, not the final answer to address housing affordability,” he wrote. “New housing supply unlocked by the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act must be paired with direct affordability tools, strong fair housing enforcement, responsible implementation, and demand-side solutions that help renters achieve stability and help first-time and first-generation homebuyers enter the market to retain the asset as a means of wealth-building for future generations.”

A national housing agenda should include the following priorities:

• Provide robust downpayment assistance for first-generation homebuyers by passing “The Downpayment Toward Equity Act” and related proposals would help families overcome one of the most significant barriers to homeownership, particularly in communities that have experienced generations of redlining, appraisal bias, discrimination, and unequal access to credit.

• Fully fund and enforce fair housing and civil rights protections. The Fair Housing Act and related civil rights laws are essential safeguards that make housing markets more transparent, accountable, and just. Congress should provide strong and sustained funding for fair housing enforcement, including the Fair Housing Initiatives Program, the Fair Housing Assistance Program, and HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

• Advance homeownership preservation and affordability measures through bipartisan support for legislative proposals such as:

• “The HEIRS Act” to help families resolve heirs’ property issues, retain their home, and preserve intergenerational wealth;

• “The Housing Financial Literacy Act” to lower costs for first-time homebuyers who complete housing counseling while equipping them with tools to make informed, sustainable financial decisions; and

• “The Mortgage Insurance Freedom Act” to ensure FHA borrowers who have built sufficient equity are not required to continue paying unnecessary mortgage insurance premiums. Ending these premiums at the appropriate threshold would lower monthly payments, help homeowners retain more of their income, and allow families to direct resources toward savings, home repairs, education, and other wealth-building goals. 

Morial further called on Congress to dedicate revenues accumulated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to a recurring Housing Trust Fund whose sole purpose is to finance the construction of affordable and workforce housing across the nation.

“The bipartisan passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is an important achievement. It should also be a catalyst,” Morial wrote. “We urge Congress to build on this foundation by advancing a second phase of housing reforms focused squarely on affordability, fair housing, rental stability, homeownership access, and wealth-building. Families need more homes, but they also need a fair chance to afford them, finance them, insure them, and remain in them.”

Source: National Urban League