The region aims to make a range of affordable, accessible, healthy and safe housing choices available to every resident and to promote fair and equal access to housing for all people.

Meeting the housing needs of all households at a range of income levels is integral to promoting health and well-being and creating a region that is livable for all residents, economically prosperous and environmentally sustainable. Housing is a basic need for every individual. Yet, residents in many communities in the region are facing an unprecedented challenge in finding and keeping a home they can afford to rent or own. When housing is limited because of availability and affordability, families may be cost burdened, unable to attain homeownership, and they may have to sacrifice the living space, neighborhood and amenities they require.

Drivers of Inequity

The housing landscape reflects more than market forces and conditions. It is also the product of decades of public policies and private practices that, throughout the 20th century, often excluded lower-income households, immigrant communities and people of color from accessing housing and living in certain areas. Practices such as restrictive covenants, redlining and loan discrimination, limited where people could live based on their race. These actions contributed to patterns of racial segregation still seen today, paired with lower quality of life outcomes such as access to quality education, living wage employment, a healthy environment and transportation. Together, past and current housing practices have perpetuated substantial inequities in wealth, ownership, and opportunity, and they continue to create barriers to rectifying these conditions.