Oklahoma Coalition for Affordable Housing

06/23/2026

Senate Passes 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act!

Monday, the Senate passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act by an overwhelming vote of 85-5. The bill passed following previous procedural votes last week showing similarly strong bipartisan support: 84-8 on June 18 and 87-8 on June 16. Earlier on June 16, the Senate unveiled a bipartisan, bicameral compromise version of the legislation, which the House and Senate have been negotiating for nearly a year. A top priority in the bill, increasing the Public Welfare Investment (PWI) cap from 15 percent of banks' capital and surplus to 20 percent, remains in this legislation. This will allow banks that are up against the cap to increase their investments in the Housing Credit. This provision has been included in every version of the housing package.

This housing package is arguably the most significant standalone housing legislation that Congress has worked on in a generation. Other key provisions in it aim to strengthen HUD and USDA programs often used in conjunction with the Housing Credit. Highlights include significant reforms to the HOME program, which helps finance around 15 to 20 percent of Housing Credit units annually, and reforms to the Department of Agriculture's Rural Housing Service, which will better enable the preservation of affordable homes in rural communities.

The compromise 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act also leaves untouched the improved provision that will reduce the participation of large institutional investors in the housing market. Last month, the House improved the original version of this provision, which had caused concern for many ACTION members, who believed that it would have inadvertently prevented the production and rehabilitation of single-family rental housing financed with the Housing Credit.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act now heads to the House for final passage. Stakeholders strongly urge the House to swiftly pass this bill and send it to the President's desk for his signature. We are deeply grateful to the Senate and House champions who have worked tirelessly to advance this legislation, especially Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA); House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (R-AR-02) and Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA-43); House Financial Services Housing Subcommittee Chairman Mike Flood (R-NE-01) and Ranking Member Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO-05); and all their staff members.

06/23/2026

House Republicans Pass and President Signs into Law “Reconciliation 2.0,” Providing $70 Billion for ICE and CBP; Path for “Reconciliation 3.0” Uncertain
https://ow.ly/YTJV50ZcSII)

By Kim Johnson, NLIHC Senior Director of Policy

06/22/2026

Housing Alphabet Soup: QAP

Affordable housing has its own language, and we're here to help break it down.

QAP = Qualified Allocation Plan

The QAP is the roadmap state housing agencies use to determine how Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) are awarded. It outlines the priorities, scoring criteria, and requirements used to evaluate affordable housing developments seeking funding.

Why does it matter? The QAP helps shape the future of affordable housing in Oklahoma by influencing which projects move forward and where housing investments are made.

Stay tuned as we continue decoding the acronyms that drive affordable housing development.

06/22/2026

Disagreements Over Topline Spending Force Senate Appropriators to Delay Planned Markups
https://ow.ly/qTEn50ZcSI0)

By Kim Johnson, NLIHC Senior Director of Policy Disagreements over topline spending amounts for defense and non-defense programs have forced members of the Senate Appropriations Committee to delay a scheduled markup of several fiscal year (FY) 2027 spending bills. The Senate has not yet released the...

06/22/2026

Outlook for Tax Legislation

While it's still possible that Republican leaders in Congress could try to pass tax legislation this year using reconciliation--a partisan process that only requires Republican votes to pass--doing so this year would be a heavy lift, particularly in light of the obstacles they are facing now as they finalize a more narrow, immigration-focused reconciliation bill. Procedural challenges related to reconciliation specifically, other priorities vying for floor time, and a limited calendar given Members' desire for more time at home on the campaign trail all make doing so difficult, but not impossible.

There's still a possibility Congress could consider bipartisan tax legislation later this year. While Congress still faces the same timing constraints, a bipartisan tax package does not have the same procedural challenges that a reconciliation bill would have. ACTION remains in regular contact with our congressional champions regarding opportunities to advance provisions from the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (AHCIA).

06/19/2026

New Federal Data Shows Rise in Older Adult Homelessness

Newly released federal data shows that homelessness among older adults increased between 2024 and 2025 despite a decrease in overall homelessness.

According to the 2025 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) Part I, overall homelessness across the country fell by around 3%, while homelessness among older adults age 65 and over increased by nearly 7%. In total, almost 149,000 older adults age 55 and over were unhoused in 2025, accounting for about 20% of all people experiencing homelessness.

The latest AHAR data underscores the need for more investments in federal rental assistance and other programs serving low-income older adults. As Congress considers new spending bills for fiscal year 2027, advocates should urge Congress to provide the highest level of funding possible for housing and homelessness programs.

06/18/2026

Bridging the Gap: Connecting Workforce Families to Homeownership
Housing for Communities is proud to share that our President & CEO, Andrea Frymire, CCIM, will be joining Michelle Tinnin, Acting Field Office Director with HUD, for an important continuing education class focused on helping workforce families achieve homeownership.

Attendees will learn how to:
- Identify buyers eligible for HUD HOME Programs
- Understand 80% AMI limits and qualifications
- Navigate HUD requirements
- Help more Oklahoma families become homeowners

📅 June 24, 2026
🕚 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
📍 Mid Del Moore Association of REALTORS®
🍽️ Lunch Provided
🎓 OREC Course #3005694

As housing affordability continues to impact families across Oklahoma, programs that bridge the gap to homeownership are more important than ever. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with HUD and industry professionals to expand access to homeownership opportunities.

06/18/2026

Join us today, June 18, for an Oppstartsathome webinar, hosted in partnership with New America and SchoolHouse Connection.

You'll hear from researchers, advocates, and policy experts about homelessness and housing insecurity among college students and learn about actionable strategies to support students experiencing homelessness.

Learn more and register today! https://ow.ly/IFWn50Z5FzI

06/18/2026

HUD Rescinds Fair Housing Guidance on Assistance Animals

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently issued a memo rescinding its fair housing guidance on assistance animals for people with disabilities.

Under the Fair Housing Act, people with disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations (RAs), such as waivers of no-pet policies, for assistance animals. HUD’s new memo, however, seeks to limit this right to RAs.

HUD will no longer consider untrained emotional support animals (ESAs) as assistance animals and will change its fair housing enforcement policies accordingly. The memo also notes that HUD will engage in future rulemaking around animal-related RAs.

While HUD’s memo itself does not change fair housing law, it reflects the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to undermine fair housing enforcement and civil rights protections.

Learn more about the Fair Housing Act and its importance for older adults in our upcoming webinar, Federal Fair Housing Basics.

06/18/2026

House Overwhelmingly Passes Amended 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act

On May 20, the House of Representatives passed an amended version of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act by an overwhelming bipartisan margin of 396-13. ACTION's top priority in the bill, increasing the Public Welfare Investment (PWI) cap from 15 percent of banks' capital and surplus to 20 percent, remains in this legislation. This will allow banks that are up against the cap to increase their investments in the Housing Credit. The PWI cap increase is also included in the Senate-passed version of the bill.

The bill also includes important provisions to strengthen HUD and USDA programs often used in conjunction with the Housing Credit. Highlights include significant reforms to the HOME program, which helps finance around 15 to 20 percent of Housing Credit units annually, and reforms to the Department of Agriculture's Rural Housing Service, which will better enable the preservation of affordable homes in rural communities.

Critically, the House-passed bill addresses concerns raised by many ACTION members that the Senate's version of the legislation would inadvertently prevent the production and rehabilitation of single-family rental housing financed with the Housing Credit. Specifically, the Senate's bill requires institutional investor owners to sell single-family "build-to-rent" and "renovate-to-rent" properties to sell those properties within seven years, which conflicts with Housing Credit requirements to maintain these properties as affordable rental housing for at least 30 years. While the majority of Housing Credit properties are multifamily, single-family rental homes, including townhouse, duplex, and scattered-site single-dwelling units are common in rural, Tribal, and some suburban areas. The House-passed bill does not include the seven-year disposition requirement.

Importantly, the White House expressed support for the House-passed version of the bill. With both chambers having passed competing versions of the legislation, they must now work to find a path forward on final text that can pass both chambers. The Senate leaders of this effort, Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), released a joint statement after the House passed the revised bill, saying that there is "still work to be done" on this legislation. Press reports suggest that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) have begun leadership-level discussions on the bill.