Georgia should build on housing progress by centering families

Every day at United Way, we meet families who are doing everything right. They’re working, raising children, contributing to their communities and still struggling to find housing they can afford. For many, the challenge isn’t simply buying a home. It’s finding a safe, stable place to live that fits their budget and allows them to build toward the future.

That’s why housing policy matters so much. It touches nearly every aspect of a family’s well-being, from financial stability and educational outcomes to health and workforce participation.

Recently, Congress took an important step by passing the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the first significant federal housing legislation in more than three decades. While no single law will solve Georgia’s housing challenges overnight, it represents meaningful progress and creates an opportunity for states to build on that momentum.

Georgia continues to experience strong population growth, and our housing supply has struggled to keep pace. That imbalance affects families across the income spectrum, particularly those who are already making difficult choices between housing, childcare, transportation and healthcare.

As lawmakers prepare for next year’s legislative session, there’s an opportunity to focus on the policies that can make the greatest difference for working families. That means supporting housing production, streamlining permitting where appropriate, addressing infrastructure needs and reducing unnecessary barriers that make it more difficult or more expensive to build homes.

The recent federal legislation also established new guardrails for institutional investment in the single-family housing market, responding to concerns that have been raised in communities across the country. With that framework now in place, Georgia has an opportunity to evaluate how those changes work in practice while keeping its attention on the broader challenge that continues to affect families every day: there simply are not enough homes to meet demand.

Communities need a variety of housing options. Some families are ready to purchase a home. Others need the flexibility of renting while they save, relocate for work, recover from financial hardship or care for loved ones. A healthy housing market includes opportunities across that spectrum, ensuring people can find housing that meets their needs at different stages of life.

For organizations like United Way, the goal has never been to champion one particular housing model or another. Our focus is on outcomes. We want families to have stable housing, children to grow up in safe neighborhoods, employers to attract workers and communities to remain places where people of all income levels can live and thrive.

That is why collaboration matters. Housing affordability is too important to become an endless cycle of revisiting yesterday’s debates. Families are looking for practical solutions that increase supply, improve affordability and expand opportunity.

Georgia has an opportunity to build on the progress already made. By keeping the focus on increasing housing availability, reducing unnecessary obstacles to development, and ensuring communities have the resources they need to grow responsibly, lawmakers can help more families find stable footing.

When more Georgians have access to housing they can afford, the benefits extend far beyond the front door. Stronger families create stronger neighborhoods, stronger employers, and stronger communities. That is a goal everyone can support.

Note: To learn more about the United Way’s “Home for Good” strategy, visit here. 

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