Photo Credit: Seattle Housing Authority

The convergence of a global pandemic, a worldwide climate crisis, and growing economic inequality will have a lasting impact on the actions we take to protect lives, reduce disparities, meet energy needs, and prepare for disasters. These events have catalyzed a rethinking of how we manage, improve, and expand housing supply, strengthen neighborhood infrastructure, and invest in communities to improve life outcomes. In this post-pandemic era, it is widely accepted that housing stability is foundational to the health and well-being of the nation. At the same time, we are faced with rising rents and alarming housing supply deficits. We have a rare opportunity to establish a sustainable future for the public housing portfolio, an essential component of our national affordable housing supply.  

While the recent unprecedented and much-needed federal investments in infrastructure, renewable energy, and green technologies are bringing billions of dollars to local communities, the federal legislative Build Back Better proposal that included $70 billion for public housing investments did not prevail. We have already lost to disinvestment hundreds of thousands of deeply affordable public housing units over the years while grappling with a national housing crisis and rising homelessness. This unique moment demands a strategic approach that brings capital investments and services to public housing communities and their residents.  

Our ten-year roadmap for public housing sustainability will marshal the necessary policies, resources, services, and political support to recapitalize the portfolio by leveraging increased and targeted public and private investments through preservation, redevelopment, mixed-used transformations, transfer of assistance, and other innovative strategies. The tools, methods and mechanisms needed to bring leveraged public and private investments to public housing have been developed over the years. We need a strategic framework for committing resources and developing policies to scale that make buildings and neighborhoods sustainable platforms for improving life outcomes for residents.