Affordable Senior Housing News 2026Mar26

Executive Order Seeks to Streamline Affordable Housing

On March 13, the Trump administration issued an executive order (EO) aimed at reducing regulatory barriers that delay housing construction and increase housing costs. In the EO, President Donald Trump directed the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, among others, to remove barriers to affordable residential construction. These agencies, according to the EO, “shall, within their respective authorities, take appropriate action to reform and, where appropriate, eliminate unduly burdensome or costly energy-efficiency, water-use, or alternative-energy requirements regarding housing….” The President also directed the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality to issue guidance maximizing the use of categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for housing construction and related activities. The EO also requires the HUD Secretary to, within 60 days, develop a set of regulatory best practices for state and local governments to promote housing construction and affordability. LeadingAge has advocated for a long list of regulatory reform recommendations to streamline environmental and programmatic review processes that delay the development and preservation of affordable senior housing to the Trump administration and looks forward to working with HUD as it meets the directives of this EO. Read the EO here; read a White House fact sheet on the EO here

LeadingAge Urges Congress to Invest in Housing Stability for Older Adults in FY27

On March 18, LeadingAge sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators outlining our fiscal year 2027 (FY27) appropriations priorities to address the crisis of housing unaffordability among older adults with low incomes. Housing assistance programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have a proven track record of successfully housing older adults and reducing homelessness. However, demand continues to outpace supply. LeadingAge calls on Congress to address this crisis by providing robust, full-year funding for housing and homeless assistance programs, such as Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) contracts, Section 202 Project Rental Assistance Contracts (PRACs), service coordinators, Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) programs, and the HOME Investment Partnerships program. Read our full letter here. Aging services stakeholders are encouraged to share these FY27 priorities with their own senators and representatives using this action alert.

Affordable housing Weekly Recap. Here is your weekly Affordable Housing Weekly Recap