May 18, 2023

The Honorable Todd Young
185 Dirksen Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Derek Kilmer
2059 Rayburn House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Brian Schatz
722 Hart Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Mike Flood
343 Cannon House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Senators Young and Schatz and Representatives Kilmer and Flood:

Our organizations are proud to support the Yes in My Backyard (YIMBY) Act. This bipartisan legislation is vital for encouraging communities to build more affordable and market-rate housing. This need will only grow as the country recovers from the economic and public health impacts of COVID-19 and tackles inflation. The YIMBY Act, which passed the House without opposition in 2020, represents a major step toward restoring balance to the country’s housing ecosystem while also creating more opportunities for Americans and their families to access and afford a home of their own.

As you know, The YIMBY Act requires localities that receive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to publicly report on whether or not they have adopted a suite of local policies that affect housing affordability and availability. It does not require that recipients adopt any specific approach; instead, it encourages communities to play a constructive role in solving the housing crisis. Recognizing and eliminating exclusionary housing policies – zoning and density restrictions, onerous parking requirements, and other regulations – is an essential first step in decreasing barriers to new housing of all price levels. The YIMBY Act will help communities recognize their agency in combatting the national housing shortage and provide the federal government with a constructive role in reaching important policy ends.

This is particularly important as the nation’s housing supply has fallen far below demand. Up for Growth’s 2022 report, Housing Underproduction™ in the U.S., found a 3.8-million-home shortfall in annual housing production. That figure represents the mismatch of supply and demand from 2019, the most recent year for which data is available. It’s an underproduction issue that’s only getting worse over time, more than doubling from the 1.6-million-home shortfall in 2012. The YIMBY Act aligns well with recently introduced legislation and other proposals currently being considered in Congress. It also adds to the critical conversation happening across the country and provides a framework for communities to enact policies proven to address the housing shortage.

We applaud you for re-introducing this vital piece of legislation and leading the fight to pass it and for it to become law in the 118th Congress. There is no question that it is needed now more than ever.

Thank you, and we look forward to continuing this essential conversation with you and your staff.

Sincerely,

National Organizations
American Institute of Architects (AIA)
American Planning Association (APA)
Americans for Prosperity
Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU)
Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA)
Family Promise
Grounded Solutions Network
Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI)
Housing Advisory Group (HAG)
Leading Builders of America
LOCUS: Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors
Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI)
Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)
NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association
National Apartment Association (NAA)
National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP)
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB)
National Association of REALTORS® (NAR)
National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM)
National Community Stabilization Trust (NCST)
National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA)
National Housing Conference (NHC)
National Leased Housing Association (NLHA)
National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)
National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC)
National NeighborWorks® Association
Prosperity Now
R Street Institute
ReFrame Foundation
Smart Growth America (SGA)
The Real Estate Roundtable (RER)
Up for Growth Action
YIMBY Action

State and Local Organizations
1000 Friends of Oregon (Oregon)
10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania)
5th Square (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
A Better Cambridge (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
Abundant Housing Atlanta (Atlanta, Georgia)
Abundant Housing LA (Los Angeles, California)
Aeon (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
African Development Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
AHEAD Inc. (Littleton, New Hampshire)
AIA Seattle (Seattle, Washington)
AIA Washington Council (Washington)
Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority (Akron, Ohio)
Alliance 85 (Georgia)
Alliance for Housing Solutions (Arlington, Virginia)
Apartment Association of Kentucky (Kentucky)
Apartment Association of Metro Denver (Denver, Colorado)
Arbor Housing and Development (Corning, New York)
Arizona Housing Coalition (Arizona)
Arizona Housing, Inc. (Arizona)
Arizona Multi-housing Association (Arizona)
Arkansas Manufactured Housing Association (Arkansas)
Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (Arlington, Virginia)
Asheville for All (Asheville, North Carolina)
Bay Area Council (San Francisco, California)
Bend YIMBY (Bend, Oregon)
Boise Valley Habitat for Humanity (Boise, Idaho)
BRIDGE Housing Corporation (San Francisco, California)
Bryan/College Station Habitat for Humanity (College Station, Texas)
Building Industry Association of Central Ohio (Columbus, Ohio)
Business for a Better Portland (Portland, Oregon)
California YIMBY (California)
CalOZ (California)
Cambridge Neighborhood Apartment Housing Service (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
CASA of Oregon (Oregon)
Catholic Charities of Louisville (Louisville, Kentucky)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, Inc. (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Circulate San Diego (San Diego, California)
Climate Action Campaign (California)
Coachella Valley Housing Coalition (Indio, California)
Coalition on Homelessness & Housing in Ohio (Ohio)
Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (Brunswick, Maine)
Colorado Association of REALTORS® (Colorado)
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (Colorado)
CommonBond Communities (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Community Concepts, Inc. (Lewiston, Maine)
Community Development Corporation of Long Island (Centereach, New York)
Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona (Tucson, Arizona)
Community Foundation for Southern Arizona (Tucson, Arizona)
Community Frameworks (Spokane, Washington)
Community Housing Development Corporation (Richmond, California)
Community Housing Improvement Program (New York, New York)
Community Housing Partners (Christiansburg, Virginia)
Community Service Programs of West Alabama, Inc. (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Congress for the New Urbanism – Central Texas Chapter (CNU-CTX) (Austin, Texas)
Congress for the New Urbanism – Illinois Chapter (Illinois)
Connecticut Housing Partners (Connecticut)
CUrbanism Club (Champaign, IL)
Dallas Neighbors for Housing (Dallas, TX)
DC YIMBY (Washington, DC)
Detroit Housing Commission (Detroit, Michigan)
DHIC, Inc. (Raleigh, North Carolina)
Downstreet Housing & Community Development (Vermont)
Downtown Austin Alliance (Austin, Texas)
Downtown Denver Partnership (Denver, Colorado)
East Bay for Everyone (Oakland, California)
East Bay YIMBY Action (Oakland, California)
Eastern Eight CDC (Johnson City, Tennessee)
Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (New Haven, Connecticut)
Evolve Tri-Valley (Pleasanton, CA)
Excellerate Foundation (Springdale, Arkansas)
Fahe (Kentucky)
Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana (Indiana)
Fifth Avenue Committee (Brooklyn, New York)
Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation (Houston, Texas)
Foundation Communities (Austin, Texas)
Gainesville is for People (Gainesville, FL)
Georgia Advancing Communities Together, Inc. (Georgia)
Good Business Colorado (Colorado)
Greater Charlotte Apartment Association (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Greater Greater Washington (Washington, DC)
Greater Minnesota Housing Fund (Minnesota)
Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities (Traverse City, Michigan)
GROW South Dakota (South Dakota)
Grow the Richmond (San Francisco, California)
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Providence (Providence, Rhode Island)
Habitat for Humanity of Hawai’i Island (Kailua-Kona, Hawaii)
Habitat for Humanity of Kansas City (Kansas City, Missouri)
Habitat for Humanity of Lincoln (Lincoln, Nebraska)
Habitat for Humanity of Maui (Wailuku, Hawaii)
Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota (Minnesota)
Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Michigan (Alpena, Michigan)
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia (Alexandra, Virginia)
Habitat for Humanity of St. Joseph County (South Bend, Indiana)
Habitat for Humanity of Washington, DC (Washington, DC)
Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County (Seattle, Washington)
Haight Ashbury Neighbors for Density (San Francisco, California)
Hawaii YIMBY (Hawaii)
HDC MidAtlantic (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland (Portland, Oregon)
Home Forward (Portland, Oregon)
Home HeadQuarters, Inc. (Syracuse, New York)
Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky (Kentucky)
Homeport Ohio (Columbus, Ohio)
Homes First (Olympia, Washington)
Housing Advocacy Coalition (San Francisco, California)
Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania)
Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) (Washington, DC)
Housing Authority of Baltimore City (Baltimore, Maryland)
Housing Connector (Seattle, Washington)
Housing Development Consortium of Seattle and King County (Seattle, Washington)
Housing Development Fund (Stamford, Connecticut)
Housing Network of Rhode Island (Rhode Island)
Housing Next (Holland, Michigan)
Housing Now Nashville (Nashville, TN)
How to ADU (California)
Idaho Smart Growth (Boise, Idaho)
Indiana Apartment Association (Indiana)
Inlivian (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Isuroon (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc (Ithaca, New York)
Kansas Association of REALTORS® (Kansas)
Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition (Kansas)
King County for Everyone (Seattle, Washington)
Lacasa, Inc. (Indiana)
Lawrence CommunityWorks, Inc. (Lawrence, Massachusetts)
Lexington Habitat for Humanity (Lexington, Kentucky)
Lighthouse MI (Pontiac, Michigan)
Livable Sunnyvale (Sunnyvale, California)
Live TC (Traverse City, Michigan)
Local First Arizona (Arizona)
Long Island Builders Institute (New York)
Los Angeles Business Council (Los Angeles, California)
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce (Los Angeles, California)
Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center (Louisiana)
Louisville Apartment Association (Louisville, Kentucky)
Madison is for People (Madison, WI)
Maine Affordable Housing Coalition (Maine)
Manna, Inc. (Washington, DC)
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish County (Seattle, Washington)
Master Builders Association of Pierce County (Tacoma, Washington)
Metropolitan Economic Development Association (Meda) (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Miami-Dade County Department of Public Housing & Community Development (Miami, Florida)
Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless (Minnesota)
Minnesota Housing Partnership (Minnesota)
Mountain View YIMBY (Mountain View, California)
More Homes Miami (Miami, Florida)
Mountain View YIMBY (Sunnyvale, California)
Multifamily NW (Portland, Oregon)
NAIOP Arizona (Arizona)
NAIOP Nashville (Nashville, Tennessee)
NAIOP Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
NAIOP Washington State (Washington)
Napa for New Neighbors (Napa, California)
Napa-Solano for Everyone (Napa, California)
NARI MN (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota)
NC REALTORS® (North Carolina)
Neighborhood Development Services, Inc. (Ravenna, Ohio)
Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore (Baltimore, Maryland)
Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Berks, Inc. (Reading, Pennsylvania)
Neighborhood Housing Services of Hamilton, Inc. (Hamilton, Ohio)
Neighbors for More Neighbors (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Neighbors for More Neighbors Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
Neighbors Helping Neighbors (Brooklyn, New York)
NeighborWorks Alliance of New York State (New York)
NeighborWorks Collaborative of Ohio (Ohio)
NeighborWorks Laredo (Laredo, Texas)
NeighborWorks Lincoln (Lincoln, Nebraska)
NeighborWorks of Western Vermont (West Rutland, Vermont)
NeighborWorks Orange County (Orange, California)
NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania)
NEOurbanism (Cleveland, OH)
New York State Association for Affordable Housing (New York)
North Carolina Home Builders Association (North Carolina)
Northern Neighbors (San Francisco, California)
Northern Ohio Apartment Association (Cleveland, Ohio)
Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (Northern Virginia)
Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance (Northern Virginia)
Northwest Pilot Project (Portland, Oregon)
Oakland Chamber of Commerce (Oakland, California)
One SouthCoast Chamber (New Bedford, Massachusetts)
Open New York (New York, New York)
Oregon Smart Growth (Oregon)
Orlando YIMBY (Orlando, Florida)
Palo Alto YIMBY (Palo Alto, California)
Palmetto YIMBY (Palmetto, South Carolina)
Peninsula Community Federal Credit Union (Shelton, Washington)
Peninsula for Everyone (Mountain View, California)
Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® (Pennsylvania)
People for Housing Orange County (Orange County, California)
Pillsbury United Communities (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Portland Business Alliance (Portland, Oregon)
Portland: Neighbors Welcome (Portland, Oregon)
Progress Noe Valley (San Francisco, CA)
Pro-Housing Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Prosperity Indiana (Indiana)
REACH CDC (Portland, Oregon)
Real Estate Council of Austin (Austin, Texas)
Regional Plan Association (RPA) (New York, New York)
Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce (Reno, Nevada)
RUPCO, Inc. (Kingston, New York)
RVA YIMBY (Richmond, Virginia)
San Diego Housing Commission (San Diego, California)
San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) (San Francisco, California)
San Francisco YIMBY (San Francisco, California)
Santa Cruz YIMBY (Santa Cruz, California)
Santa Rosa YIMBY (Santa Rosa, California)
Save the Family Foundation of Arizona (Arizona)
Seattle 2030 District (Seattle, Washington)
Seattle for Everyone (Seattle, Washington)
Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (Seattle, Washington)
Seattle YIMBY (Seattle, Washington)
Sightline Institute (Seattle, Washington)
SLOCo YIMBY (Templeton, California)
Southside Forward (San Francisco)
South Bay YIMBY (San Jose, California)
Southside Forward (San Francisco, California)
Southwest Fair Housing Council (Arizona)
Spokane Housing for All (Spokane, Washington)
Streets for People (San Francisco, California)
St. Mary Development Corp. (Dayton, Ohio)
TechEquity Collaborative (San Francisco, California)
Tejano Center for Community Concerns (Houston, Texas)
Tenderloin Housing Clinic (San Francisco, California)
Texas Apartment Association (Texas)
The 2030 Group (Washington, DC)
Tucson for Everyone (Tucson, Arizona)
Twin Cities YIMBY (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Urban Environmentalists (California)
Urban Environmentalists (Illinois)
Urban Homeworks (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Urban Land Conservancy (Denver, Colorado)
Ventura County YIMBY (Ventura, California)
Virginia Apartment Management Association (Virginia)
Virginia Housing Alliance (Virginia)
Vision Long Island (Northport, New York)
Walkable Princeton (Princeton, New Jersey)
Washington Multi-Family Housing Association (Washington)
Welcome Home Coalition (Portland, Oregon)
YIMBY Delaware (Wilmington, Delaware)
YIMBY Denver (Denver, Colorado)
YIMBY Durham (Durham, North Carolina)
YIMBY Fort Collins (Fort Collins, Colorado)
YIMBY Hampton Roads (Virginia Beach, Virginia)
YIMBY Jewish (United States)
YIMBY Latinx (United States)
YIMBY Law (San Francisco, California)
YIMBY Maryland (Baltimore, Maryland)
YIMBY Tampa (Tampa, Florida)
YIMBY NOVA (Arlington, Virginia)

CC: The Honorable Marcia Fudge, Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
The Honorable Chuck Schumer, United States Senate Majority Leader
The Honorable Mitch McConnell, United States Senate Minority Leader
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives
The Honorable Sherrod Brown, Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
The Honorable Tim Scott, Ranking Member of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
The Honorable Patrick McHenry, Chair of the United States House Committee on Financial Services
The Honorable Maxine Waters, Ranking Member of the United States House Committee on Financial Services

Read the official letter below: