10/03/2025
ATLANTA (Oct. 1, 2025) — At a moment when 94 million U.S. American households can’t afford a median-priced home, Congress must act quickly to end a government shutdown that will delay access to federal resources and force more families to put their dream of a decent and affordable place to call home on hold, Habitat for Humanity International urged today.
The timing couldn’t be worse, especially for those on the verge of accessing a safe, secure home. Congress must end the shutdown and finalize the fiscal year 2026 appropriations process with robust funding for housing and community development programs critical for lower-income homeowners and renters struggling to make ends meet.
Habitat for Humanity has outlined FY2026 legislative funding priorities to address the affordable housing crisis:
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill:
Fund the Self-help Homeownership Opportunity Program, or SHOP, at no less than $13 million.
Fund the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, or HOME, at no less than $1.25 billion.
Fund the Section 4 Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing program at no less than $49 million.
Agriculture, Rural Development bill:
Fund the USDA Section 502 Direct Loan Program at no less than $1 billion.
Financial Services and General Government bill:
Provide the CDFI Fund program at Treasury no less than $324 million.
Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education bill:
Fund AmeriCorps at no less than $1.262 billion.
Across the country, Habitat organizations leverage federal funding through agencies such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Treasury and AmeriCorps to work alongside families that earn well below the median income in their region. The longer a shutdown lasts, the more disruption and delays there will be to programs and projects on the ground. Ultimately, this leads to future homeowners waiting longer to reach the dream of homeownership and the stability it brings for their families.
Habitat is urging members of Congress to finalize the FY2026 budget, because a prolonged shutdown means American families and communities who rely on affordable housing programs will again face difficult and destabilizing consequences.
About Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a movement of people in your local area and around the world, working together to build more prosperous and vibrant communities by making sure everyone has a safe, affordable place to call home. Since our founding in 1976 as a Christian organization, together we have helped more than 62 million people globally build their futures on their own terms through access to decent housing. We’ve done that by working alongside people of all walks of life to build, repair and finance their homes, by innovating new ways of building and financing, and by advocating for policies that make constructing and accessing housing easier for everyone. Together, we build homes, communities and hope. To learn more, visit habitat.org.
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