June is National Homeownership Month, a time to reflect on the importance of housing and the role it plays in strengthening families, communities, and local economies. It’s also an opportunity to recognize the work happening at every level of the home building industry to make homeownership more attainable for future buyers.
While housing affordability remains one of the biggest challenges facing communities across the country, there have recently been several positive developments in Washington that could help improve housing supply and create more opportunities moving forward.
One of the most significant updates came with the U.S. House of Representatives approving a revised version of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. In a major win for the housing industry and for housing affordability overall, lawmakers removed a provision that would have negatively impacted the build-to-rent (BTR) market.
Earlier versions of the bill included a requirement forcing purpose-built single-family rental homes to be sold within seven years. Industry groups, including the National Association of Home Builders, warned that the proposal would reduce housing supply, increase rental pressure, and create additional affordability challenges at a time when the market already faces significant shortages.
NAHB estimates the proposal could have reduced housing production by tens of thousands of units annually. The revised House bill removes that language and instead focuses on measures aimed at supporting housing development and increasing supply.
The updated legislation also includes several provisions strongly supported by NAHB that would help improve housing production nationwide. These include increasing multifamily FHA loan limits to better reflect today’s construction costs, expanding support for community banks that play a critical role in residential lending, improving flexibility within the HOME program, and reducing barriers tied to permitting and development reviews.
Taken together, these efforts represent meaningful progress toward addressing one of the biggest issues facing housing today: supply.
For growing communities like Sioux Falls, increasing housing supply remains critical to supporting long-term economic growth and maintaining affordability. Housing availability impacts workforce attraction, business expansion, and overall community development. Policies that encourage responsible growth and reduce barriers to development will continue to play an important role in helping communities keep pace with demand.
NAHB Chairman Bill Owens recently testified before Congress on this issue, emphasizing that the nation’s housing affordability challenges ultimately come down to a shortage of homes. According to NAHB, the United States is currently facing a structural shortage of approximately 1.2 million homes.
Builders continue to face significant obstacles that impact their ability to meet demand. Labor shortages remain one of the biggest concerns, with more than 200,000 unfilled construction jobs nationwide. Regulatory costs and permitting delays continue to add substantial costs to development, particularly for entry-level housing. Material costs also remain elevated, with construction materials increasing more than 46% since early 2020.
These challenges are not just national conversations—they directly impact markets like Sioux Falls and communities across South Dakota. As our region continues to grow, maintaining a healthy housing pipeline will require policies that support development, improve workforce availability, and reduce unnecessary barriers that slow down projects and increase costs.
That’s why advocacy remains such an important part of our industry.
NAHB’s Legislative Conference will take place June 10 in Washington, D.C., bringing builders and industry professionals together to meet directly with members of Congress and discuss housing priorities. These conversations help ensure policymakers understand the real-world impact federal decisions have on housing affordability, supply, workforce development, financing, and local growth.
The strength of the home building industry has always been rooted in strong grassroots advocacy. Whether it’s protecting access to housing credit, supporting workforce development initiatives, addressing permitting delays, or improving access to buildable lots, it’s critical that our industry continues to have a voice in these discussions.
As we recognize National Homeownership Month, it’s important to remember that housing growth depends on policies that support responsible development and long-term investment in our communities. Every new home, rental unit, development, and remodeling project helps strengthen local economies and meet the needs of growing communities like Sioux Falls.
As these discussions continue in Washington, it’s critical that housing policy remains focused on increasing supply, supporting responsible growth, and removing barriers that make it harder to build. Communities like Sioux Falls will continue depending on strong partnerships between industry leaders and policymakers to ensure housing opportunities can keep pace with the needs of a growing region.
Jordan Hefner
NAHB Area 10 Representative
