[Senate Hearing 118-80]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                         S. Hrg. 118-80

                     LAYING THE FOUNDATION: HOUSING
                    ACCESSIBILITY AND AFFORDABILITY
                          FOR OLDER ADULTS AND
                        PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

=======================================================================

                                 HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

                       SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING

                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                    ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS


                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                             WASHINGTON, DC

                               __________

                             JULY 20, 2023

                               __________

                           Serial No. 118-06

         Printed for the use of the Special Committee on Aging
         
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]         


        Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
        
                              __________

                                
                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
53-203 PDF                 WASHINGTON : 2023                    
          
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                       SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING

              ROBERT P. CASEY, JR., Pennsylvania, Chairman

KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York      MIKE BRAUN, Indiana
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut      TIM SCOTT, South Carolina
ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts      MARCO RUBIO, Florida
MARK KELLY, Arizona                  RICK SCOTT, Florida
RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia             J.D. VANCE, Ohio
JOHN FETTERMAN, Pennsylvania         PETE RICKETTS, Nebraska

                              ----------                              
              
              Elizabeth Letter, Majority Staff Director
                Matthew Sommer, Minority Staff Director
                        
                        C  O  N  T  E  N  T  S

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                                                                   Page

Opening Statement of Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr., Chairman......     1
Opening Statement of Senator Mike Braun, Ranking Member..........     2

                           PANEL OF WITNESSES

Jenny Schuetz, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute Metro, 
  Washington, D.C................................................     4
Allie Cannington, Senior Manager of Advocacy and Organizing, The 
  Kelsey, San Francisco, California..............................     6
Rick Wajda, CEO, Indiana Builders Association, Fishers, Indiana..     8
Domonique Howell, Disability Housing Advocate, Philadelphia, 
  Pennsylvania...................................................    10

                                APPENDIX
                           Closing Statement

Closing Statement of Senator Mike Braun, Ranking Member..........    33

                      Prepared Witness Statements

Jenny Schuetz, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute Metro, 
  Washington, D.C................................................    37
Allie Cannington, Senior Manager of Advocacy and Organizing, The 
  Kelsey, San Francisco, California..............................    43
Rick Wajda, CEO, Indiana Builders Association, Fishers, Indiana..    60
Domonique Howell, Disability Housing Advocate, Philadelphia, 
  Pennsylvania...................................................    64

                       Statements for the Record

Alisa Grishman Statement.........................................    69
Brenda Dare Statement............................................    72
Casper Colo Statement............................................    74
Diane Yaddow Statement...........................................    75
HDC MidAtlantic Statement........................................    76
Inglis Statement.................................................    81
Disability Options Network Statement.............................    84
National Disability Rights Network Statement.....................    86
Sandie Geib Statement............................................    88
Suzzanne Ott Statement...........................................    89
Wendy Boyd Statement.............................................    90

 
                     LAYING THE FOUNDATION: HOUSING
                    ACCESSIBILITY AND AFFORDABILITY
                          FOR OLDER ADULTS AND
                        PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

                              ----------                              


                        Thursday, July 20, 2023

                                        U.S. Senate
                                 Special Committee on Aging
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:30 a.m., Room 
366, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Robert P. Casey, Jr., 
Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
    Present: Senator Casey, Blumenthal, Warren, Kelly, Warnock, 
Braun, Rick Scott, and Ricketts.

                 OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR 
                 ROBERT P. CASEY, JR., CHAIRMAN

    The Chairman. The Senate Special Committee on Aging will 
come to order. Good morning and welcome to the Aging 
Committee's sixth hearing of 118th Congress. Today's hearing is 
Laying the Foundation: Housing, Accessibility, and 
Affordability for Older Adults and People with Disabilities.
    This hearing will also examine the importance of home 
modifications in supporting older adults and people with 
disabilities to remain in their homes. We know that stable, 
high quality housing is an essential human need and the 
foundation of community well-being.
    This is especially true for the millions of Americans who 
wish to age in place and people with disabilities who prefer to 
live in their communities. Home offers, of course, physical 
protection and connections to community, to work, to education, 
and of course, to family, but for millions of Americans, 
adequate housing is more of an aspiration than a reality. In 
particular, for too many older adults and people--too many 
older adults and people with disabilities cannot afford 
accessible housing.
    Many live in unsafe housing or institutions, even though 
they prefer to live in communities, the communities within 
which they raised their families. Accessible housing is a key 
feature that can assist people with disabilities and older 
adults to live in their own homes in chosen communities, 
something that research tells us over 90 percent prefer.
    An accessible home offers specific features or 
technologies, such as lower kitchen counters and sinks, wider 
doorways, and zero step showers. Twenty-six percent of people 
in our Nation have a disability. That is about 61 million 
Americans.
    By 2030, one in five Americans will be over the age of 65, 
but less than five percent, less than five percent of the 
national housing supply is accessible, with less than one 
percent of housing stock accessible to wheelchair users.
    Today, we will hear from Domonique Howell from 
Philadelphia. She will share her story about experiencing 
homelessness after facing serious barriers to acquiring 
accessible housing. This, of course, and I think everyone would 
agree with this, is unacceptable.
    That is why in April, I introduced legislation entitled the 
Visitable Inclusive Tax Credit for Accessible Living Act, the 
so-called VITAL Act, Senate Bill 1377, which would add funding 
to the low-income housing tax credit program, the Nation's 
primary driver of affordable housing.
    This program does not currently have an accessibility 
standard, contributing to the severe shortage of accessible and 
affordable housing. That is why the VITAL Act would require 
that a percentage of homes built with this investment meet 
certain accessibility standards.
    We need to ensure that families have a real choice when it 
comes to the place that they call home. My legislation would 
ensure we are increasing the amount of accessible housing 
available for people with disabilities and older adults to meet 
their needs.
    Investments in accessible housing are central to 
guaranteeing better outcomes in health and satisfaction for 
both older adults and people with disabilities. Investing in 
accessible and affordable housing policies and programs is not 
only a lifesaving action for those Americans but will provide 
housing security for all.
    Whether it be for the young family who uses a stroller, the 
busy professional with a disability who wants to live near 
their work, or the recent retiree who is downsizing to age in 
place, all Americans, all Americans benefit from accessible 
housing. In recent history, we have seen advancements toward 
more accessible housing through efforts such as the Fair 
Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and, of 
course, the Olmstead Supreme Court decision.
    Congress must continue to support national advancements in 
accessible housing and align the needs of millions living with 
disabilities and our increasing aging population. I look 
forward to hearing from our witnesses today about these 
important issues, and I will turn to Ranking Member Braun.

                 OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR 
                   MIKE BRAUN, RANKING MEMBER

    Senator Braun. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. One thing I do as a 
Senator for Hoosiers is I travel and visit all 92 of our 
counties every year. We have also invited any Hoosier to come 
visit me in my hometown.
    When you do that, you get a lot of good input, and I can 
tell you that a few issues, and Ms. Cannington, you and I just 
talked about it earlier, and you said they all kind of 
intersect, but high cost of health care in our State is a big 
issue, access to it, how we spend our education dollars, which 
is the main responsibility of most state governments, and then 
you have got rural broadband in states like ours, and then the 
other thing, affordable housing.
    How we get there in terms of getting all four of them to be 
in the sweet spot of what one can afford is probably a goal 
that should be mostly the responsibility of states because they 
live within the framework of a balanced budget generally and 
are more sustainable and what might be there for future 
generations.
    It affects housing affordability, all walks of life, 
including older adults and people with disabilities. Under the 
Biden Administration, Americans are less able to afford a home 
than practically any other time in our history.
    A lot of times things we do here are well-intended, but you 
cannot do it by borrowing from future generations and dumping 
the amount of money we did into the economy. It has created 
inflation, which is a tax on everyone, and gosh, look what it 
has done to affordability.
    Spending policies, I think, have exacerbated an already 
unaffordable housing market. In 2021, when President Biden did 
take office, the average or the median home price was $369,000. 
Now it is $430,000, and if you are good at math at all, you 
know, in just that short a period of time, those are huge 
increases per year.
    Mortgage interest rates, which were around three percent, 
are now a little over seven percent on a thirty-year mortgage. 
That is pricing all kinds of people out of the market. Housing 
inventory, we know we need more of it. I hear it all the time. 
Even companies back in Indiana are trying to figure out how 
they can weigh into it.
    Estimates say the U.S. is between three and six million 
houses short of what the market needs, and many factors 
contribute to it, including regulatory burdens both Federal and 
State, infrastructure costs, supply chain constraints, largely 
may be created by how we navigated through COVID, workforce 
shortage, the number one thing I hear pre-COVID and post-COVID, 
and overall increasing costs of materials due to inflation. I 
think the solutions to all of these are probably left best to 
the laboratory of the states. In here, we ought to minimally 
have a guideline of regulations that are going to help, not 
make it even worse.
    Federal Government, I think too, can help generally on the 
main drivers of an economy that folks are wondering what do we 
have, by not spending and borrowing more, because you don't 
need a macroeconomics degree, that creates inflation. We did 
the exact opposite of that. I think we can get back on track. 
Another issue is when he signed the Inflation Reduction Act 
into law, which issued billions of dollars to encourage states 
to update their energy codes to the 2021 International Energy 
Conservation Code.
    I believe we've got to be conscious of climate. We want to 
make sure homes are built to where they are going to spend less 
on utilities, but not when it creates an upfront cost that even 
exacerbates more the affordability issue.
    Sometimes when you want to do something, you have got to 
make sure you get it--get the timing right, and now we need to 
aspire to that, but we shouldn't mandate it. Here is another 
issue: there was recent a ruling that the average American 
credit score is over 716. Interest rates have gotten higher, 
now we have had a ruling that punishes people that earn good 
credit scores to help subsidize others. I think that is the 
wrong way to accomplish maybe a goal that is noble to help 
those that need help affording a place to live, but not like 
that. This has passed to overturn that rule by a large 
bipartisan vote in the House. I would like to see that occur in 
the Senate too.
    I do look forward--sometimes we are at odds in terms of 
what we should do, but there is always practical legislation in 
the middle, and I would hope that we can have those 
conversations that get us there. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. Ranking Member Braun, thanks very much. Now I 
will turn to the introduction of our witnesses.
    Our first witness is Dr. Jenny Schuetz. Dr. Schuetz is a 
Senior Fellow at Brookings Metro and works in urban economics 
and housing policy. Her research focuses on land use 
regulation, housing prices, urban amenities, and neighborhood 
change.
    Thank you for sharing your expertise and experience with 
us, Dr. Schuetz. Our second witness is Ms. Allie Cannington. 
Ms. Cannington is a Senior Manager of Advocacy and Organizing 
at the Kelsey, where she leads policy and advocacy efforts to 
advance disability forward housing solutions.
    She is dedicated to fueling justice movements for people 
with disabilities that are intersectional, sustainable and 
intergenerational. Thank you for being here, Ms. Carrington, 
and sharing your expertise and your experience with the 
Committee. I will turn next to Ranking Member Braun for an 
introduction.
    Senator Braun. It is my pleasure to introduce Mr. Rick 
Wajda. He is the CEO of the Indiana Builders Association, one 
of the state's leading voices on residential construction in 
the housing industry.
    Rick has been with the Indiana Builders Association for 
over 20 years and will share his knowledge and experience with 
the Committee today. He joins us from Fishers, Indiana, not too 
far from his alma mater, Butler University, in Indianapolis. 
Thanks Rick for being here today.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Ranking Member Braun. Our final 
witness is Domonique Howell, whom I mentioned earlier. 
Domonique is an advocate for the civil rights of people with 
disabilities, and she works to educate others about the 
discrimination parents with disabilities face.
    She has personally experienced the barriers that people 
with disabilities confront in finding accessible housing. Thank 
you, Domonique, for being here today and for sharing your story 
with the Committee, and now we will start with Dr. Schuetz for 
your opening statement.

        STATEMENT JENNY SCHUETZ, PH.D., SENIOR FELLOW, 
          BROOKINGS INSTITUTE METRO, WASHINGTON, D.C.

    Dr. Schuetz. Good morning, Chairman Casey, Ranking Member 
Braun, members of the Committee. Thank you for the opportunity 
to testify today on the important issue of accessible and 
affordable housing for older adults and people with 
disabilities. It is an honor to be here.
    My name is Jenny Schuetz. I am a Senior Fellow at Brookings 
Metro. My comments today will provide some broader context on 
housing challenges facing older adults and people with 
disabilities.
    Restrictive zoning makes it hard to produce enough housing 
to meet demand, especially accessible and affordable housing. 
Since the Great Recession, the U.S. has not built enough 
housing to keep pace with the demand created by job and 
population growth.
    Local governments across the U.S. have adopted restrictive 
zoning rules and complex discretionary development processes 
that decrease the amount of new construction and increase 
housing costs.
    Rules such as single-family exclusive zoning create direct 
barriers to building accessible homes that meet the needs of 
people with disabilities and older adults. Accessory dwelling 
units, duplexes and apartments, and elevator buildings are all 
critical parts of the housing ecosystem that supports safe, 
independent living, as well as informal caregiving within 
families.
    Rising housing costs create more financial stress for low-
income households and people living on fixed incomes. The 
poorest 20 percent of households spend more than half of their 
income on housing costs, leaving too little money to cover 
other necessities. Rapidly rising housing costs are 
particularly challenging for older adults and people with 
disabilities who often live on fixed incomes.
    Among low-income people with disabilities, only 16 percent 
receive Federal housing subsidies. Two recent trends foreshadow 
greater housing insecurity among older adults than in previous 
generations. A larger share of older adults today are renters, 
due partly to the lingering effects of the foreclosure crisis.
    Older homeowners also have higher debt levels because they 
are more likely to have a mortgage and larger mortgage 
balances. Retrofitting existing homes and communities is 
essential to improving safety and accessibility. The U.S. 
housing stock is aging along with the population.
    Older homes are generally more affordable, but they are 
also more likely to have maintenance problems that can create 
unsafe or unhealthy living conditions. Much of the 
unsubsidized, affordable rental housing stock lacks 
accessibility features such as elevators and doorways wide 
enough to accommodate wheelchairs. Retrofitting millions of 
older homes is an enormous task that will require both private 
and public capital.
    An important policy consideration is how to balance the 
benefits of building codes and related regulations that require 
accessible features with the costs to property owners of 
conducting retrofits. Homes are only one piece of the built 
environment that impacts accessibility.
    Many older adults and people with disabilities cannot drive 
and therefore face challenges of safely navigating their 
communities. Relatively inexpensive and fast infrastructure 
investments could improve neighborhood safety and 
accessibility.
    These include improving sidewalk quality, extending the 
time allotted for pedestrians, crossing streets, and adding 
benches at bus stops. Removing regulatory barriers to 
neighborhoods serving retail would also make it easier for 
older adults and people with disabilities to reach shared 
community spaces, from shopping centers to libraries and parks. 
Congress can improve housing, accessibility, and affordability 
for older adults and people with disabilities through four 
channels.
    First, create financial incentives for local governments to 
revise their zoning to allow a wider range of accessible 
housing types. The bipartisan infrastructure law includes some 
models for how to do this.
    Second, HUD should provide technical assistance and clear 
guidance to local governments on the types of zoning and 
building code reforms that are most important to accessibility 
and affordability.
    Third, provide flexible financial support for low-income 
older adults and people with disabilities through increased 
funding for housing vouchers or targeted tax credits.
    Fourth, encourage accessibility retrofits for existing 
homes and neighborhoods, serving pedestrian infrastructure 
through funding already allocated in the bipartisan 
Infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act. Expanding 
the supply of safe, accessible, affordable housing is a 
critical quality of life issue for millions of older adults and 
people with disabilities.
    Once in a generation, Federal infrastructure investments 
offer a unique opportunity to upgrade the safety and 
accessibility of homes and neighborhoods. Accomplishing these 
goals will require sustained and coordinated efforts from 
Federal, State, and local governments, as well as the private 
and nonprofit sectors.
    Thank you for the opportunity to testify today, and I look 
forward to answering your questions.
    The Chairman. Dr. Schuetz, thanks very much for your 
testimony.
    Ms. Cannington.

        STATEMENT OF ALLIE CANNINGTON, SENIOR MANAGER OF

              ADVOCACY AND ORGANIZING, THE KELSEY,

                   SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

    Ms. Cannington. Chairman Casey, Ranking Member Braun, and 
members of the Special Committee of Aging, thank you so much 
for inviting me to testify today.
    I sit before you both as the Senior Manager at the Kelsey 
and as a disabled person who has deeply felt the severe 
shortage of accessible, affordable--[technical problems]--in my 
own life and in the lives of people I know and love across the 
country. Co-led by people with and without disabilities, the 
Kelsey pioneers' accessible, affordable, and inclusive housing 
through public, private, and philanthropic partnerships to 
develop mixed income disability forward housing.
    We also advance market and policy conditions so that this 
type of housing can become the norm nationwide. Our country's 
housing crisis disproportionately impacts people with 
disabilities and older adults.
    This is why we are here today, and even more acutely, it 
impacts those who are black, brown, and indigenous. One in four 
adults are disabled, and two in five seniors have a disability. 
Disabled people are twice as likely to live in poverty.
    No one living on the supplemental security income can 
afford housing in any U.S. market. People with disabilities 
experience the highest rates of housing discrimination, and 
less than five percent of our housing stock is accessible.
    At least half of those turning to shelters are disabled, 
and over 18 million people with disabilities are eligible for 
housing assistance, but not receiving it. Our country still 
upholds institutional bias, with at least 3.3 million disabled 
people and older adults stuck in institutional settings because 
there isn't the housing that they need in their own 
communities.
    We have failed millions, but there are tangible solutions 
that can be enacted now to create what we call a more 
disability forward housing future. Disability forward housing 
is housing that is affordable to people of all incomes, 
especially those who are extremely low income.
    It is accessible, located, designed, and built to meet a 
diverse range of accessibility needs from cognitive to chronic 
illness, to hearing, vision, and more. It is inclusive and 
which means housing that does not segregate or isolate but is 
mixed between people with and without disabilities and supports 
people to receive access to services in their own homes.
    Designing disability forward housing means designing better 
housing for everyone, people across geographies, incomes, and 
housing needs. It can include mixed income communities, with 
homes ranging from deeply affordable to essential workforce 
housing.
    It includes resident centered programing that brings 
elements of interdependence, informal support networks, access 
to services, and connected community living that benefit all. 
Designing for all kinds of bodies upfront can lower costs, but 
not planning ahead can lead to unscheduled maintenance and a 
hit to already limited operating budgets. Disability forward 
housing does not have to make a project cost more. When 
comparing the costs of our projects at the Kelsey to others, 
ours are cost competitive, proving that this is possible.
    We have learned through our developments and technical 
assistance, as well as through the Kelsey's housing design 
standards for accessibility and inclusion, that with the right 
partners and investments, disability forward housing can be 
scaled to transform the lives of people with and without 
disabilities.
    From America's city centers to rural communities, we need 
though congressional and regulatory action to make this future 
possible. We have a legal framework to mandate fair and 
integrated housing, but we have never adequately invested in 
the housing infrastructure to make these rights a reality for 
the ever-growing disabled population.
    We can improve and invest in programs that we know work but 
have been woefully underfunded. Like HUD's Section 811, 202, 
the HUD Service Coordination Program, housing choice vouchers, 
including as well as specifically the mainstream voucher 
program, as well as innovative project-based subsidy programs, 
as well as transit oriented development and the Housing Trust 
Fund, as well as public housing.
    We must invest in and strengthen Medicaid, home and 
community-based services, including housing related services. 
We also can embed disability forward solutions across the 
entire housing infrastructure, like within the low-income 
housing tax credit or tax which funds the vast majority of 
affordable housing and supports over six million jobs annually.
    Passing legislation like the VITAL Act Senate Bill 1377 
would finance up to 970,000 more affordable, accessible homes 
over 10 years. It would be a critical step forward. We can 
increase requirements and incentivize access and inclusion 
across all Federal programs and better align HUD and Medicaid.
    We can build new programs that make the rights of community 
living for disabled people a reality. This includes creating 
voucher programs that are more explicitly for disabled people 
of all ages who qualify for Medicaid, home and community-based 
services, and we can create a national home modification 
program for people who every day are left to their own accord 
to make essential changes to their homes.
    As well as we can establish HUD senior leadership to 
oversee disability forward solutions are embedded across the 
agency. Through all these interventions and more, you can move 
us toward a more disability forward housing future. I look 
forward to answering questions.
    The Chairman. Thank you very much, Ms. Cannington, and we 
will move now to our third witness, Mr. Wajda. I want to make 
sure I am pronouncing that right.
    Mr. Wajda. Yes, sir.
    The Chairman. Thank you.

         STATEMENT OF RICK WAJDA, CEO, INDIANA BUILDERS
                 ASSOCIATION, FISHERS, INDIANA

    Mr. Wajda. Thank you, Chairman Casey, Ranking Member Braun, 
and members of the Senate's Special Committee on Aging. I am 
pleased to appear before you today on behalf of the Indiana 
Builders Association to share our views on the state of housing 
and the barriers our industry is currently facing to provide 
safe and affordable housing at all price points, and for all 
sectors of the homebuying public, including older Americans.
    My name is Rick Wajda, and I am the Chief Executive Officer 
for the Indiana Builders Association. The Indiana Builders 
Association represents over 2,600 member companies engaged in 
the residential and commercial construction industry across the 
State of Indiana, and we are also affiliated with the National 
Association of Home Builders.
    The primary challenge to the building industry is the lack 
of attainable, affordable housing in the single family and 
multifamily markets. These challenges are consistent across the 
board for rental units as well as for sale housing.
    Indiana has done an excellent job over the years of 
attracting employers to our communities and making our State a 
great place to live, but with low inventory and rising material 
and labor cost, our members are having a difficult time 
providing workforce housing to Hoosiers.
    Record low inventory and a building industry that has not 
met current demand for new housing at various price points has 
created a shortage of available workforce housing. Estimates 
indicate a shortage of new homes across the State of 30,000 to 
50,000 units.
    Put into context, Indiana needs roughly 18,000 to 22,000 
new houses a year to meet average demand and only produced over 
18,000 new homes in 2020 for the first time since 2007. Why 
were home builders underbuilding coming out of the recession?
    After the downturn, the number of home builders declined 
significantly, and the availability of financing for 
acquisition, development, and construction activities were 
severely constrained. These factors significantly limited the 
production of new housing when housing demand was increasing 
across the country.
    According to the National Association of Home Builders' 
priced out report, the 2023 median new home price in Indiana is 
now $397,000. The income needed to qualify for the median new 
home price is roughly $120,000. Of the approximately 2.8 
million households in Indiana, over 75 percent are unable to 
afford the median price of a new home.
    These numbers hold true across the country as well. In 
Pennsylvania, 86 percent of the households are unable to afford 
the median price of a new home. Ohio, 81 percent. Nebraska, 75 
percent. Arizona, 81 percent. The U.S. average is 73 percent 
for households unable to afford the median price of a new home.
    On top of these already challenging dynamics, any increase 
in housing costs push potential buyers out of the market. In 
Indiana, for every $1,000 increase in the cost of a house, over 
3,000 households are priced out of the market. That number is 
over 140,000 nationally. Take, for example, inflationary 
pressures and rising mortgage rates.
    In March 2020, the new median house price in Indiana was 
$296,000 and the interest rate on a 30-year mortgage was 
roughly 3.5 percent. Assuming a 20 percent down payment, the 
monthly payment, excluding taxes and property insurance, was 
just over $1,000 a month. Today, that same house cost nearly 
$400,000 or 34 percent more, and the interest on that same 30-
year mortgage is 7.25 percent, more than double the rate. As a 
result of these increases, the new monthly mortgage payment 
today is over $2,100, $1,100 more a month for roughly the same 
house.
    The fact is, homeownership is unattainable for many across 
Indiana and the country, including two earner households, due 
to tight supply, inflationary pressures, regulatory costs, and 
rising mortgage rates.
    Which is why we must look at reducing the cost of housing 
at all levels. According to the National Association of Home 
Builders Economics Group, nearly 25 percent of the cost of a 
new home nationwide can be attributed to regulations. 
Regulations come in many forms and can be imposed by various 
levels of Government.
    At the local level, jurisdictions may charge permit fees, 
hook-up fees and impact fees, and establish development 
construction standards that either directly increase cost of 
builders and developers, or cause delays that translate to 
higher cost. State and Federal governments may be involved in 
this process directly or indirectly.
    For example, restrictive building codes add thousands of 
dollars to the cost of the house, making it that much more 
difficult to qualify for a mortgage. In terms of identifying 
solutions to improve affordability, we must rebuild the 
industry's infrastructure, which includes our labor force and 
reliable sources of lending and building materials.
    All regulations should be examined for their impact on 
housing affordability. Communities can reduce the cost of 
producing new housing by eliminating fee increases, assist with 
infrastructure cost, and allowing for higher density housing 
where the market demands it. Our aging population may want to 
age in place or age in community.
    Creativity and options to allow this must be explored and 
implemented. In Indiana, the General Assembly recently 
concluded and passed legislation that creates a residential 
infrastructure fund to the tune of $75 million over the next 
two years to assist in communities building out infrastructure 
for residential housing.
    Think sewers, roads, sidewalks, etc. This transformative 
piece of legislation will open areas for development and reduce 
the infrastructure costs currently paid for upfront by the 
builder developer, but ultimately passed on in the cost of the 
home to the homebuyer.
    In conclusion, our citizens, and particularly older 
Americans, want to choose where they live and the type of home 
that best meets their needs. Our industry stands ready to 
assist in helping to expand the availability of safe and 
affordable housing. Thank you, Chairman Casey, Ranking Member 
Braun, and members of the Committee for your time today.
    The Chairman. Thank you very much. Our final witness is 
Domonique Howell.

       STATEMENT OF DOMONIQUE HOWELL, DISABILITY HOUSING
              ADVOCATE, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

    Ms. Howell. Chairman Casey, Ranking Member Braun, and 
members of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, thank you for 
inviting me here today to share my story. My name is Domonique 
Howell. I am a disability advocate from Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania. I am an Independent Living Specialist at Liberty 
Resources in a center for independent living in Southeastern 
Pennsylvania.
    Today, I am here to speak about the importance of 
affordable, accessible housing in Philadelphia and nationwide. 
With a population of 12.90 million residents as of 2021 in 
Pennsylvania, disabled residents make up at least 25 percent of 
the population, which equates to 2,677,350 residents.
    I feel that it is imperative to focus on the needs of the 
disability community, while also understanding that it is not 
just a regional issue but a national one. Many of you may have 
realized that affordable, accessible housing in Pennsylvania 
does not meet the demands of disabled residents in need.
    For decades, it has been affordable housing shortage which 
has continually led to chronic housing insecurity. This 
includes homelessness and evictions because many residents 
cannot afford the rising rent cost on fixed incomes.
    For example, last year, the Independent Living Services 
Department of Liberty Resources, Inc. received an average of 
100 calls per month for disabled people needing housing. This 
is especially true in Philadelphia, including myself.
    Five years ago, my family and I, which included my then 
three-year-old daughter and my aging grandmother, were 
wrongfully evicted due to a decision made by the owners of the 
property. They no longer wanted to make repairs to my 
inaccessible apartment, which was required by the Philadelphia 
Housing Authority to continue to receive payments.
    The owners made the decision that they would no longer 
accept the subsidy which led to our eviction because we can no 
longer afford market rate rent on our own. With the help of 
some advocacy, my grandmother was able to be housed once we 
were evicted.
    Unfortunately for my daughter and I, we were not as lucky 
and were denied entry into the Office of Homeless Services 
twice because I am a recipient of home and community based 
services. I receive attentive care hours.
    I was seeing home and community-based services so that I 
can remain living independently in the community. To offer the 
homeless services intakes, they have stated that they cannot 
enter the shelter because of the services I receive.
    After getting legal representation and advocating, I was 
able to enter the shelter, but not without lack of 
accessibility for a year. I slept in my power wheelchair even 
while in the shelter. After fighting, advocating, and sharing 
my personal story, my daughter and I now have a place to call 
home.
    Even though my daughter and I now have a place to call 
home, it does not come without accessibility challenges. 
Unfortunately, even though the building we live in has other 
tenants with disabilities, the elevator is constantly broken, 
which leaves many residents, including myself, trapped in our 
homes, sometimes for weeks on end.
    My entire life, I have had to make the decision between 
accessibility and affordability, as so many other Americans 
with disabilities do. As an example, for the first time in my 
life, I now have a bathroom that is accessible enough for my 
wheelchair to enter and be able to close the door.
    As an advocate and activist personally and professionally, 
one of my primary focuses is to continue housing justice, 
because human housing is a human right and unfortunately for 
too many Americans, especially people with disabilities, are 
not being equally granted the right of housing they can afford, 
that is accessible.
    It is my opinion that Pennsylvania and other states across 
the country should decrease their focus on market value 
development and increase their efforts to developing 
affordable, accessible housing to match the needs of its 
residents.
    It is my hope that as members of Senate, you decide to take 
a stance and work diligently to help people with disabilities 
across the United States with the right of affordable, 
accessible housing. Thank you for your time and I look forward 
to answering any questions you may have. Thank you.
    The Chairman. Ms. Howell, thanks very much for your 
testimony. I wanted to start a round of questions. My first 
question is for Ms. Cannington. We know that the people with 
disabilities face hardships. I think that is a real 
understatement. They face those hardships at a rate that is 
higher than people without disabilities. For example, they are 
twice as likely to live in poverty, to face a persistent wage 
gap, and to struggle to afford housing costs.
    We have got to do more to ensure that Federal housing 
assistance programs are both, as we have said a number of times 
today, accessible and affordable for people with disabilities. 
I mentioned LIHTC, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. It is the 
Nation's primary driver of new stock, affordable housing.
    This is a good program. It has had bipartisan support for 
many, many years. LIHTC provides tax credits to developers who 
build new housing for low-income earners, but currently there 
is no requirement under the program as it exists today to build 
disability friendly housing. It is just a gap in the program.
    The VITAL Act that I have introduced would have an 
accessibility standard for that tax credit program, ensuring 
that investment and building of new, affordable, and accessible 
housing is possible, so here is my question, Ms. Cannington, 
are states meeting the needs of people with disabilities 
through the LIHTC program?
    Ms. Cannington. Thank you, Senator Casey, for your 
question, so as you spoke to, LIHTC is the primary driver of 
affordable housing, and through LIHTC, all states are allocated 
tax credits, and each state, through their qualified allocation 
plan, can decide where those tax credits can be prioritized.
    There are 28 states that completely, at the state level, 
also lack accessibility requirements, but then there are some 
states that are leading the way, that are adding both 
accessibility requirements and incentives, but the bottom line 
is that disabled people and older adults, no matter where they 
live in the country, should expect a standard of accessibility 
in the housing stock.
    By reforming the low income housing tax credit to both 
increase the requirement, as well as incentivize developers to 
build more accessible and adaptive housing, the disabled people 
and older adults will increase their--our confidence level in 
the standard, as well as create more uniformity across the 
development field about what is accessible housing and how can 
LIHTC ensure that it drives not just affordable housing but 
more accessible and adaptable to all.
    The Chairman. You said 28 states----
    Ms. Cannington. Completely lack tax credit accessibility 
requirements, and then there is 22 states that vary in their 
accessibility requirements, and so, we look to the Federal 
Government for leadership in that regard.
    The Chairman. Well, that is an interesting breakdown of all 
the states. I guess one question I have is what are the 
characteristics of housing that is designed for the needs of 
people with disabilities? Describe what would be, for lack of a 
better word, the ideal circumstance.
    Ms. Cannington. Thank you, Chairman, so at the Kelsey, when 
we talk about disability forward housing design, we look at 
cross disability access, so that means not just meeting the 
minimum code requirements when they do exist, which is mobility 
and sensory, so important, but the 61 million disabled people 
vary. We are an incredibly diverse group.
    We break down those characteristics of access in six main 
impact areas, so hearing and acoustics, vision, health and 
wellness, cognitive access, and support needs. Some of the 
features and characteristics that I want to lift up that are--
that go beyond code requirements, but by embedding them from 
the start doesn't have an additional cost are things like plain 
language leases.
    Are things like wayfinding in a building, that when you 
implement this accessibility, these cross disability access 
characteristics, it doesn't just benefit those groups, but 
benefits all?
    The Chairman. Thanks very much. I will turn to Ranking 
Member Braun.
    Senator Braun. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Wajda, you 
talked about in Indiana, the median home price, $397,000. I 
mean, that just seems outrageously high as a median, and that 
is actually higher than what the median is across the country.
    Interest rates, we talked about where they are. But 
regulation, as it comes from here especially. Can you cite a 
couple of the key regulations that drive costs up? And 
generally, they are always well intended, but then can work at 
cross-purposes for the affordability factor.
    If you would highlight a couple of the most challenging 
ones from here, and then likewise coming from our own State.
    Mr. Wajda. Sure. Thank you, Senator Braun. The regulations 
are a huge factor, right. Take you roughly 25 percent of the 
cost of a home is due to regulations. I like to say that is no 
sticks and that is no bricks going into the house.
    That is simply Government regulations that further reduce 
housing affordability across this great country, and so, if you 
look at the Federal level, it could be regulations dealing with 
storm water.
    You know, recently a Supreme Court decided case, the 
Sackett case dealing with wetlands on private property are all 
regulations that are ultimately added to the cost. When a 
homebuilder and a developer is looking to develop a piece of 
ground, they have to take into account those regulations and 
pass those costs on to the homebuyer, that continues to raise 
the cost of housing.
    At the local level, a lot of times we see architectural 
standards baked into local ordinances, so certain communities 
want housing in their community to look a certain way. They may 
want all brick houses, they may want certain roof pitches, 
three car silo garages, larger lot densities.
    Those are all things that we can provide as home buyers to 
the consumer and to the public, but those come at a cost, and 
so, if we can get creative at the local level and communities 
can start to look at reducing lot sizes and allowing smaller 
houses to be built in their communities, we think we can 
attempt to drive down the cost of housing.
    Senator Braun. I want to give a shout out to a company in 
Indiana, the Cook Medical Group, who does medical device 
manufacturing as its business, but it has taken on trying to 
make affordable housing something that they are going to try to 
make--weigh in on, and in talking to Steve Ferguson, the CEO of 
the group, he said they found a formula to get housing in a 
slab home, three bedrooms, and I have seen them, and they are 
nice starter homes, for between $185,000 and 215,000.
    Which all of a sudden, if you are there, even with today's 
interest rates, look what you are doing in terms of 
affordability. I don't know how far that goes into the income 
quartiles, but if you could do that--and he said the single 
biggest factor was getting the local jurisdiction to stub in 
utilities, which most local jurisdictions can, and then it 
enabled him to be able to experiment to get homes built in that 
range. Does that happen much across Indiana, or would that be 
the exception rather than the rule?
    Mr. Wajda. I would say, Senator Braun, that is the 
exception rather than the rule, but it is certainly a creative 
approach that I think many large employers may want to look. If 
they need workforce, they are going to need to have some sort 
of cooperative agreement for housing for their workers.
    Senator Braun and Chairman Casey, you have a lot in common 
in terms of the long rich history in your states of the steel 
mills, and a lot of those communities were built with the 
assistance of those steel mills back in there to make sure that 
they had affordable housing for their workers close to the 
factories, and maybe we have got to take a look at some of 
those cooperative partnerships moving forward with our 
employment community.
    Senator Braun. Well, I think that is one example to where 
you don't have to look here. You can take that issue into your 
own hands, and we have had measurable results. I want to get 
final question on inflation, and that robs across the board 
purchasing power. It has largely offset any of the wage gains 
that we have made.
    COVID exposed a lot of places where employers need to 
acknowledge that if you don't pay a living wage, you are not 
only going to be losing the ability to have an affordable home, 
many other issues as well.
    I challenge employers throughout the country to make sure 
to take that into consideration, but what is the current status 
of inflation impacting building materials? Are we coming back 
down? Is something within sight of where we will get back to 
where we were pre-COVID?
    Mr. Wajda. I think, Senator Braun, lumber prices certainly 
have come back down, but we have seen increases in other 
building materials that have continued to drive the cost of 
housing up. We have not seen that stabilized yet.
    As you see, you know, maybe the price of wood and lumber 
dropping back to some pre-COVID levels, but we have also seen 
those increases in other products that continue to challenge 
the market, and certainly, you mentioned with mortgage rates 
going up, right, the challenge to get somebody qualified for an 
entry level home in the United States of America is very 
difficult right now.
    We need to do everything we can to try to drive those rates 
down and get the cost of materials down so we can build more 
houses.
    Senator Braun. Thank you.
    Mr. Wajda. Thank you.
    The Chairman. Thanks, Ranking Member Braun. I will start 
another round of questions, and now, we will be waiting for, 
and are waiting for other Senators to appear at the hearing so 
they can do their questions.
    We will have some who will appear in this segment of the 
hearing, and as some of you might know, we will have to take, 
Ranking Member Braun and I will have to take a break to go down 
to a Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, so going 
to a HELP Committee markup where we are considering 
legislation, pandemic, all hazards legislation, that we have 
got to get done today.
    We will take a break and come back, and I think at that 
point we will have other Senators. But for the time being, I 
just have a few more for this round. Ms. Howell, I will start 
with you. As you know, many people with disabilities and older 
adults prefer to remain in their homes.
    We heard from Ms. Cannington, the current housing stock is 
largely inaccessible, forcing many to leave their communities 
for congregate settings, which in many instances would be a 
nursing home if you are an older adult. We must ensure that 
older adults and people with disabilities can safely age in 
place and aren't forced to live in an institutional setting 
because their home can't support their needs.
    Domonique, I would ask you, how does the opportunity to 
have an accessible home impact your ability to remain in your 
own home and community?
    Ms. Howell. Well, the opportunity that I have been afforded 
to have an accessible home has allowed me to be a productive 
member of society, a great advocate, and an even better mother.
    Without the opportunity to have an accessible home, I would 
not be able to do any of those things. I would not be able to 
be an independent living specialist. I would not be able to 
fight for housing justice, and I would not be able to be a 
loving, supportive parent.
    The Chairman. It is pretty fundamental just getting through 
your day and being a parent is so difficult. I was noting in 
your testimony that you said at the end of the third paragraph, 
``I was able to enter the shelter, but not without lack of 
accessibility. For a year I slept on my power wheelchair even 
while in the shelter.'' I can't imagine a year like that, but I 
hope--and it seems like things are a little better for you 
today.
    Ms. Howell. Things are wonderful.
    The Chairman. That is great.
    Ms. Howell. A Full job and a full life, so I am blessed, 
but there are many Americans that are not afforded the 
opportunity, and so that is why I am here today. Thank you for 
your question.
    The Chairman. I will next turn to Dr. Schuetz. I wanted to 
ask you about home modifications, which is part of the 
discussion.
    People with disabilities of all ages need safe housing that 
supports their ability to live in their communities, but many 
live in homes not designed for their needs, and often they 
struggle to afford necessary home modifications like installing 
a wheelchair ramp or a zero-step shower.
    These modifications help these Americans prevent accidents 
and maintain their independence. To help constituents, 
primarily older adults and people with disabilities as well as 
veterans, connect to resources so they can live and age in 
place, our Committee offers a home modification resource guide.
    I am just holding it up. It is entitled, Modifying Your 
Home for Accessibility and Safety, and this particular version 
says, resources for Pennsylvanians. The table of contents kind 
of says it all.
    There is a section or a chapter on resources for veterans, 
resources for rural homeowners, resources for SSI 
beneficiaries, for older adults, for people with disabilities. 
Just by way of example, I was looking at the section on 
resources for rural homeowners.
    This is how it starts. It says, the Section 504 Home Repair 
Program provides loans and grants to low-income homeowners to 
repair, improve, and modernize their homes. It also provides 
grants to older and very low-income homeowners to improve 
health and safety standards.
    This is particularly focused on Americans who are in rural 
communities. One of my constituents, Suzanne from Venango 
County, that is just North of Pittsburgh, told me how her 
husband uses a wheelchair, but because the doors are not wide 
enough from their home, he can't use it in the house.
    She said he has to, ``crawl on his hands and knees to get 
inside the house and move around.'' Suzanne and her family use 
the Home Modifications brochure to find resources to widen 
their doorways and install stairlifts. She remarked how these 
changes will allow her husband to, ``truly be independent,'' 
and to get around and do as he pleases.
    Dr. Schuetz, how can we better strengthen and streamline 
national resources for home modifications?
    Dr. Schuetz. Thanks for that question. Home modifications 
are a really important part of making our existing stock more 
accessible. It is often complicated. As Ms. Cannington said, 
there are a lot of different kinds of modifications that would 
be necessary, and it is a question of matching the home 
characteristics to the resident and to their needs.
    It is often hard to come up with a fairly direct sort of 
cookie cutter version of this that can be implemented 
everywhere. We do know that some general rules of thumb for 
making programs more accessible.
    First, to make sure that there is targeted marketing and 
outreach to eligible households so that they know that these 
products are available.
    Second, to make sure that the application process is as 
easy and straightforward as possible. Reduce the administrative 
burden so it is easy for people to access the resources that 
they are eligible for.
    Third, to make sure that there are trusted intermediaries 
who could help doing the contracting work to provide good 
quality work at fair prices and make sure that people aren't 
overpaying for those services, so those are good general rules 
of thumb for making the program more accessible and making sure 
that the funding is spent well.
    The Chairman. Thank you, doctor. Ranking Member Braun.
    Senator Braun. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. When I do visit all 
92 counties in our State, by far the issue I hear even above 
and beyond rural broadband, affordable housing, would be 
workforce.
    That was pre-COVID. It is probably mentioned twice as often 
now. In our State, we had 65,000 jobs that needed a better high 
school education, basic life skills. When I went to high 
school, you could take engine mechanics.
    You could take wood or metal shop. You could learn to weld. 
You had those kinds of parts of your curriculum, and I think 
prepared you whether you are going to enlist, go into 
employment right out of high school, or get further education.
    Where are we at in our own State? I know when I was in the 
State Legislature, it was always talked about. It seemed like 
we never kind of aggregated our efforts toward it, and how big 
a deal is it? Do we have enough electricians and plumbers and 
let alone all the other kind of skills you need to build a 
home? How are we doing in Indiana?
    Mr. Wajda. Great question, Senator Braun, and the 
challenges are certainly there in all sectors of the 
construction industry, whether it is residential construction, 
commercial construction, road building.
    You know, for example, our membership in our association 
was over 7,000 member companies across the State of Indiana 
before the Great Recession. Now we have shy of 3,000 members. A 
lot of those companies closed their doors. A lot of those folks 
went to a different occupation and didn't come back into the 
construction industry.
    We have an aging workforce that is aging out of the 
construction industry, and we haven't backfilled enough 
positions with our younger generations that--to let them know 
there are great careers in the construction industry and can 
make a very good living for themselves and their families if 
that is the pathway that they desire.
    We are making a very strong, concerted effort with all of 
our partners in the construction industry, commercial union, 
nonunion, and residential as well, to let them know there are 
great careers out there. You can make a very good living. If 
you choose to go to a four-year institution, that is great, but 
you don't have to.
    You can go in and become an electrician, a plumber. We need 
more of those than you can imagine right now. They are in high 
demand, and if you are willing to get a little dirty and work 
hard, you can have a great living for yourself and your family.
    Senator Braun. Well, it is good to let that out there so 
people know that is a place to go, and where the cost of post-
secondary education has gone--is pricing itself out of the 
market. We are going to have to--you know, STEM degrees are 
under produced in Indiana, for instance, and we need more of 
them to fill that high demand, very high pay niche, but then 
you have got a high demand, high wage jobs that even through 
COVID have become more so, and if we, through the guidance that 
you get in high school, companies need to reach out to their 
middle schools and high schools to get involved.
    Garrett High School, for instance, near Fort Wayne, they 
bought acreage next to their high school and they build a home 
each year, and the kids love it. They are going to make more 
money in many cases than most four-year degrees would produce, 
and they are going to have a job from the day they get their 
diploma.
    A job that can pay for the things you need in this life, so 
I think education has got to come along to be part of the 
solution, because if you are not getting enough, you are going 
to have to pay even more to get people into the field, and I 
remember too Indiana Manufacturers Association, they wanted 
just the school system to produce that perfect employ mix that 
they needed.
    Well, that wasn't happening. That was as recently as eight 
years ago. I see that occurring too in some of the companies 
that are having the least amount of trouble hiring people are 
communicating with their local school systems, and then kids, 
they get those general high schools, and the parents get the 
information of high demand, high wage cost of education, career 
wages. We can do a better job of getting people in places where 
we need it, and housing would be one of those places.
    It seems like we have got a lot of room to improve as well, 
but it does look like we are making steps in the right 
direction.
    Mr. Wajda. Senator, I would agree, and right as I mentioned 
earlier, with the loss of so many subcontractors and building 
industry professionals coming out of the last recession, if you 
have--if you are a residential homebuilder and you call five 
plumbers and get quotes for a project, you are going to get a 
competitive bid.
    Today there might only be one plumber in town to give you 
that bid, and so, all those factors go into the affordability 
challenges that we are seeing today as we need more workers, we 
need more competition to try to continue to drive that cost of 
providing that service.
    Senator Braun. That is very good. Thank you.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Ranking Member Braun. As I said, 
now we will take a break. The Committee will recess until 11:00 
a.m.
    [Recess.]
    The Chairman. The Committee will now resume the hearing, 
Laying the Foundation. Housing, Accessibility, and 
Affordability for Older Adults and People with Disabilities. I 
will turn to my colleague, Senator Kelly, because he was here 
when I walked in the door and he is, as always, on time. 
Senator Kelly.
    Senator Kelly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Dr. Schuetz, and 
Ms. Cannington, Mr. Wajda--did I pronounce that right--and Ms. 
Howell, thank you, all of you, for being here today. This is a 
very important issue.
    This question is for Dr. Schuetz. My State of Arizona is 
currently dealing with a rather historic heat wave multiple 
days in a row in Phoenix, where the temperature has hit at 
least 110 degrees. The other day when I was there, it was 118 
and it has been above 110 pretty much every day of the month 
here in July.
    The National Weather Service indicates that temperatures 
are going to remain above average for the rest of the month, 
and you have probably seen some of these headlines, and I 
expect you have also seen headlines on the study that found out 
that if there is a blackout in Phoenix during a heat wave, 50 
percent of the city's population could possibly need emergency 
medical attention.
    Phoenix has a population of over--Maricopa County is about 
half the population of the State, so over three million people. 
Now, we are fortunate that Phoenix has a pretty strong 
electrical grid, but these extreme weather events are happening 
more frequently, and the low temperatures aren't really that 
low anymore.
    We know that older adults are at risk due to extreme heat, 
and if you are in an older home, you are more likely not to 
have air conditioning. We have seen that last week with some 
individuals. You are also not likely to have effective 
insulation in an older home or you are not likely to have 
window shading, all of which can become very dangerous in these 
times of extreme heat.
    The Federal Government, by the way, supports weatherization 
assistance, which can make homes safer and better prepared to 
respond to extreme weather events, but Dr. Schuetz, are we 
maximizing the use of these resources from the Federal 
Government that supports weatherization assistance?
    Dr. Schuetz. That is a great question. Thanks, Senator 
Kelly. The short answer is no, we are not doing a great job of 
getting the weatherization money into the hands of people who 
need it and into homes to provide all the sorts of adaptive 
features that you mentioned. We talked before the recess that 
there are a number of ways that in general home retrofits could 
be made easier.
    The weatherization program is undersubscribed. A lot of 
people who would be eligible for assistance don't know that 
they are eligible and so don't apply. It is a very onerous 
process to apply and get access to that, to go through the 
screening process for income, to have the home energy audit 
done.
    Thinking about ways to make that easier to access. This 
also should work nicely with some of the funding in the 
Inflation Reduction Act that is more focused on energy 
efficiency.
    The two of those together, so things like insulation and 
replacing windows and doors, upgrading heating and cooling 
systems, particularly cooling systems in Arizona, those are 
really important for making the homes safer and healthier for 
people, and bringing down also energy usage so that people are 
spending less on their energy bill and the system stays 
current.
    Senator Kelly. Have there been any surveys done to try to 
determine how many--like what percentage of the population that 
is eligible even knows--know that these programs exist?
    Dr. Schuetz. I would have to look to see. I mean, the 
programs are pretty undersubscribed. Each state administers the 
weatherization assistance program a little bit differently, and 
so, some states have been more proactive about doing outreach. 
Maryland has done quite a lot of that to encourage people who 
are eligible to know about it, but that is a great question. I 
can look up those figures for you.
    Senator Kelly. Okay, thank you, and miss--or Dr. Schuetz, 
on a different but somewhat related subject, you know, one of 
the things I hear from affordable housing stakeholders all the 
time is the need for zoning reform to allow for some creative 
solutions to build new affordable housing.
    I had some, you know, folks in my office just yesterday, 
including a woman who was--has been homeless, and we were 
discussing, you know, how do we get more affordable housing in 
the State of Arizona. One of the suggestions and one of the 
things that came up, you know, was something that Tucson, 
Arizona, locally did, which was allowing for the construction 
of accessory dwelling units, ADUs, on single family properties, 
but that is not statewide, and these independent living 
situations are popular and carry a lot of benefits, including 
proximity to family caregivers to support older adults and 
individuals with disabilities.
    Dr. Schuetz, in your testimony, I understand you have 
highlighted house zoning rules that prohibit all structures 
except single family detached homes create direct barriers to 
building accessible homes.
    Recognizing that so much of housing policy happens at a 
state and local level, can you expand on your recommendations 
for how the Federal Government can support or incentivize state 
and local efforts to pursue zoning reform?
    Dr. Schuetz. Absolutely. There is actually a lot of 
experimentation going on at the state and local level. Places 
like Tucson, states like Utah, that have been doing state level 
reform, and one of the really useful things that HUD could do 
is keep track of all of the reforms that are going on, make 
sure that the lessons we are learning for what works and what 
doesn't in different housing markets is accessible.
    Providing really simple, straightforward guidance. If you 
want to make ADUs work, here is a two pager of the do's and 
don'ts so that the state and local officials can get access to 
that. There is a lot of interest by elected officials at the 
state and local level in learning more about how this works and 
there isn't really a good source of information or technical 
assistance.
    That would be a very easy thing that HUD could do more of, 
in combination with targeting some of the transportation and 
infrastructure funds, to encourage more zoning reform.
    Senator Kelly. We could probably do that even without 
legislation, I would think. I mean, just encouraging HUD to do 
that, so I will make sure that my staff works with you, and we 
can try to address this issue. Thank you.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Kelly, so I turn next to 
Senator Ricketts.
    Senator Ricketts. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank all of 
our witnesses for being here today. I want to build on what 
Senator Kelly was talking there with regard to zoning. You 
know, owning a home is part of the American dream.
    When I talk to my constituents, specifically in Omaha, who 
are home builders, one of the challenges is they talk to me 
about is all the extra red tape that has come over the past 
several years with regard to, you know, not only the zoning, 
but all the regulations that go along with the codes and so 
forth like that, and that that is creating a barrier to 
building affordable housing.
    That would impact our seniors, and so, Mr. Wajda, you are 
with the homebuilders as well. A lot of my constituents tell me 
that the things, the regulations they face are local examples 
of what the State or the Federal government is promoting, and 
that is creating some of the costs and the burdens that they 
face.
    Can you talk to me a little about what can the Federal 
Government be doing to maybe help with cutting that red tape 
and helping our homebuilders build more affordable homes?
    Mr. Wajda. Sure, Senator Ricketts. Thank you for the 
question, and a great example at the Federal level is 
uncoupling some legislation that has been passed that requires 
states and local communities to adopt the most recent addition 
of the building codes.
    For example, the adoption of the 2021 International Energy 
Conservation Code can add as much as $31,000 to the price of a 
new home and can take as long as 90 years for homeowners to see 
a payback on their investment.
    At a time when we are facing an affordability crisis across 
the country, passing the most recent addition of an updated 
energy code, which does very little to increase the energy 
efficiency in already efficient new construction--I think, you 
know, we could see as a country, much bigger bang for your 
buck, looking at retrofitting some of those older homes, as we 
talked about and some of the weatherization programs and others 
that could really increase energy efficiency but not saddle 
potential new home buyers of new homes from those increased 
cost.
    Senator Ricketts. You know, was there a cost benefit 
analysis done on that? I mean, because the numbers are getting 
pretty shocking, that would increase the cost of a home by that 
much when there are lower costs, readily available ways to be 
able to help improve on energy efficiency. Was there a cost 
benefit analysis done on that?
    Mr. Wajda. Yes. I think they look at some of those things 
and most codes are then adopted, the international codes are 
then adopted by states uniformed or they make tweaks to those 
depending on which state you are from and, or in local 
communities.
    A lot of state and local communities may take the 
international code and then change that to try to reduce those 
cost increases at their local level, but you know, we work very 
closely with our National Association to make sure that 
policymakers are aware of when new regulations are going to be 
passed, what that impact is going to be on their constituents 
in their home states.
    Senator Ricketts. When you say international code, help 
educate me on that. Why is it called an international code?
    Mr. Wajda. The International Code Council is a code writing 
body. It is a nonprofit organization that actually writes the 
codes and then states adopt those international codes in their 
states, but it is a group of folks that get together to 
promulgate, write new codes, and ultimately sell code books.
    Senator Ricketts. Who are they accountable to?
    Mr. Wajda. They have a governing body.
    Senator Ricketts. Who is that? Who makes up their governing 
body?
    Mr. Wajda. Various interest groups and local government 
officials, typically.
    Senator Ricketts. It is not an elected official body that 
is overseeing that.
    Mr. Wajda. Could be the local building inspector, could be 
from a community that is on the ICC board. You know, very, very 
interest--a lot of times maybe they are looking at safety and 
not necessarily safety and affordability.
    Senator Ricketts. You said there is also--so is there also 
a potential for conflict of interest there from that standpoint 
of the people who are sitting on that, who are creating these 
codes, that may then benefit from the codes that they are 
creating?
    Mr. Wajda. I think a lot of the things that we hear from 
our members of our organization is a lot of product 
manufacturers are very engaged in the code writing process, and 
a lot of times that if you add a product to the code, that 
could increase the cost of housing. Obviously then local 
states, the states and local communities have to look at that 
and say, is this something that we want in our home state?
    A lot of times we have to then pull that section out of the 
code or learn to live with it and pass the cost on to the 
potential home buyer.
    Senator Ricketts. Is there a way to--do you have any 
thoughts on how to reform that process?
    Mr. Wajda. I think having a more balanced approach so that 
you have all sectors of the residential construction industry 
at the table with an equal voice and making sure that not--we 
are taking into account not only safety but also affordability.
    As you mentioned early, really taking a look at that cost 
benefit analysis of every new edition of the code that is going 
to be promulgated to make sure that the people that are going 
to be enforcing those new regulations understand the costs they 
are passing on to their constituencies.
    Senator Ricketts. Great, and thank you very much. I 
appreciate it.
    Mr. Wajda. Thank you very much.
    Senator Ricketts. Thank you.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Ricketts. We will turn 
next to Senator Warnock.
    Senator Warnock. Thank you very much, Chair Casey. In 
addition to the Aging Committee, I also serve on Banking and 
Housing, and it is exciting to see those two Committees 
intersect on such an important issue.
    Over the past year, I have been working to improve the low-
income housing tax credit, or better known as LIHTC. Ms. 
Cannington, how do states meet the needs of people with 
disabilities through the LIHTC program?
    Ms. Cannington. Thank you so much, Senator Warnock, for 
your question, so as I spoke to in my testimony, LIHTC, as the 
Nation's primary driver of affordable housing, is impacting 
positively the supply of affordable housing across the country, 
and yet there are still gaps in the program in that it does not 
uphold a standard of accessibility that people with 
disabilities and older adults need across the country.
    Through Federal guidance both and reform, we can create 
incentives and requirements within LIHTC to ensure that 
regardless of the state that an individual lives in, that they 
can expect that there is going to be a supply of housing that 
is more accessible and adaptable. There also is a need for more 
data transparency and data collection.
    We are--you know, we know that less than five percent of 
our Nation's housing stock is accessible. We know that disabled 
people and older adults experience poverty at higher rates and 
need accessible housing.
    The supply of affordable, accessible housing is even less, 
and so how can we ensure that the largest driver of affordable 
housing, LIHTC, really gives us an understanding of the supply 
that it is rehabbing and constructing and noting what that 
supply--how that supply is meeting the needs as well as not 
meeting the needs of Americans across the country.
    Senator Warnock. Lack of inventory, availability of 
affordable housing for people in general, particularly 
marginalized populations.
    Then persons dealing with that at the intersection of 
disabilities, that supply is even lower, so we have got a lot 
of work to do, and that is why last year I introduced the 
Housing Market Data Transparency Act, which requires state 
housing finance agencies to submit data annually about 
properties receiving.
    Ms. Cannington, how could better data about the LIHTC 
program inform better policies and improve the lives of 
Americans aging in place and adults with disabilities?
    Ms. Cannington. Thank you again for that question, Senator, 
so as we know and your legislation speaks to, multiple GAO 
reports have suggested that Congress should consider 
designating an agency to regularly collect and maintain 
specified cost related data, and we need to ensure that the 
data also collected is related to both levels of affordability 
and accessibility.
    For example, Congress can then connect data on the number 
of homes funded by LIHTC based on AMI to track how the program 
serves people across incomes. That can also be the same in 
regards to accessibility.
    We--you know, we need more research to be done and more 
attention to access and inclusion across the housing 
infrastructure, and if LIHTC, which is the primary driver of 
affordable housing, is really not taking into consideration the 
needs of the largest minority in this country, we are missing 
the mark.
    Senator Warnock. Well, thank you so much. I agree, and I 
believe that increasing program transparency and data integrity 
of the LIHTC program would further underscore the program's 
record of success and allow us to have more accurate data, and 
this is not data for data sake. Improved data transparency in 
the LIHTC program would then help inform policies and meet the 
needs of people with disabilities and Americans aging in place. 
Thank you so much for your advocacy on this issue and for your 
testimony today.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Warnock. I know we are 
awaiting I think at least one more Senator, and so I will ask 
another question. I want to note for the record something I 
didn't do earlier. The--I mentioned the modifying your home for 
accessibility and safety, this new publication, and this 
version is for Pennsylvania, but it has also been translated 
into Spanish.
    We have that resource available. I will turn for my 
question to Domonique Howell. You mention your testimony, if 
your home is properly accessible, it can make an immense 
difference and allow you to live independently and be 
integrated into your community.
    People with disabilities have historically been 
underrepresented in property development, and the expertise and 
leadership of people with disabilities is critical to the 
creation of more accessible homes.
    Your lived experience and work highlight the need for more 
people with disabilities to be included in the conception of 
and development of affordable and accessible housing, so 
housing is made better for all Americans. Can you share the 
importance of including the voices of people with disabilities 
and advocates in housing development?
    Ms. Howell. Thank you for your question, Chairman. First 
and foremost, I think that representation matters, so we need 
to be at the table so that people can see us and know our 
stories, and know what accessibility looks like firsthand, 
whether it is physical, whether it is cognitive, whether you 
are a deaf individual.
    I think that if we are at the table and we help develop it, 
it will help design and create more affordable housing the best 
way we know how. If you lived the experience, you know the 
experience, so you are the best person to develop it because 
you know what you need as a disabled individual.
    The Chairman. Yes. That makes a lot of sense. Dr. Schuetz, 
I wanted to turn to you again. We know that many older adults 
provide care for their grandchildren, grand families as we have 
come to know them. These older adults may not have the physical 
infrastructure features in their home to accommodate raising a 
young child. Features include single floor living, zero step 
entrances, and hallways and doorways wide enough to accommodate 
wheelchairs, walkers or strollers. These not only make homes 
more accessible for older adults, but also for young children. 
As we have learned today, finding housing that meets these 
criteria is challenging. I have introduced bipartisan 
legislation called the Grand Family Housing Act, which would 
support housing providers in creating stable living 
environments for grand families and kinship families. Doctor, 
how can we better support the accessible housing needs of 
multi-generational families, particularly those who are raising 
young children?
    Dr. Schuetz. That is a great question, Senator. We know 
that people have figured out ways to live in extended families 
and multi-generational families forever. People figure out ways 
to do this organically.
    Many of the rules that we have been talking about at the 
local level, zoning rules, make it hard to build the kinds of 
homes that accommodate that, so a very typical example used to 
be you would buy a duplex or a triple decker house and have 
different parts of the same family live together and provide 
care but have different units.
    We have talked some today about accessory dwelling units, 
which are a great way to provide a unit on the same property 
that can either accommodate a caregiver, adult children, older 
adults who want to live with their younger children.
    These kinds of diverse structures provide an ecosystem of 
housing that supports a lot of choices, and if we take away 
some of the regulatory barriers and allow these to be built, 
including allowing conversions to happen in existing 
properties, then we provide a wider range of options and people 
can choose the option that works best for themselves and their 
families.
    The Chairman. Thanks very much. Senator Ricketts, do you 
have any other questions?
    Senator Ricketts. Yes. Great. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You 
will have to tell Senator Braun I was trying to schmooze him 
while he was--he was supposed to be here for this so I could 
say I was going to compliment him on his introduction to his 
leadership of the Middle Class Borrower Protection Act, which I 
co-sponsored, but he is not here, so you have to tell him that 
I was trying to compliment him when he wasn't----
    The Chairman. I will make sure to do that.
    Senator Warnock. Thank you, but it is concerning when the 
Administration wanted to change the low level pricing for 
families, that you are essentially taxing the American dream. 
You are rewarding people who weren't making as good financial 
decisions and punishing people who were doing the right thing 
with regard to their financial decisions, who had better credit 
scores and so forth, and that is obviously very concerning 
measure. Mr. Wajda, in your opinion, what specific impact 
analysis or studies should be done before you make changes like 
this that are going to change this single-family pricing 
framework?
    Mr. Wajda. Senator Ricketts, thank you very much for your 
question. Our National Association expressed concern about the 
increased upfront delivery fees for many borrowers with the new 
LLPA matrices when they came out May of this year.
    Whether it is paid as a closing cost fee or through 
increased interest rates, increasing the LLPAs only serve to 
act as a tax on homeownership in an extremely vulnerable 
market.
    However, our industry believes that Congress should remain 
focused on the comprehensive reform of the housing finance 
system and certainly understand that when those fees are passed 
on, right, there is a cost to homeownership across the country.
    Senator Ricketts. What sort of collaboration or input 
should be received before making changes like this? Like, how 
would you structure this to advise the Administration before 
they make changes in this kind of policy?
    Mr. Wajda. Senator Ricketts, I think having that discussion 
with the various stakeholders and how it is going to impact 
certainly the housing industry as a whole, bringing those 
stakeholders into those conversations and having that dialog on 
the front end, we certainly could have had that conversation to 
make sure any change and what that impact was going to be on 
housing affordability.
    Senator Ricketts. To your knowledge, do you know of any 
sort of collaboration, input, forums, public meetings, anything 
like that the Administration did before considering this?
    Mr. Wajda. I certainly have to check with our National 
Association staff on that and whether there was any 
collaboration between those organizations.
    Senator Ricketts. You are not aware of any personally?
    Mr. Wajda. None, to my knowledge. No, sir.
    Senator Ricketts. What kind of implications do you think 
this would have for housing affordability if this rule were in 
place?
    Mr. Wajda. I think certainly any fees that are passed on 
have to be, whether it is passed on in the cost of a mortgage 
or passed on to the homebuilder and ultimately to the 
homebuyer, any increase in the cost of housing is going to 
price people out of the market.
    Senator Ricketts. It is going to actually lead to less 
accessibility rather than more accessibility, correct? Is that 
fair?
    Mr. Wajda. Yes, sir.
    Senator Ricketts. Yes. Thank you very much. I appreciate 
that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Ricketts. I will move to 
my closing statement for the hearing, and if our colleague 
arrives, they can be slotted in before we adjourn, and I want 
to thank Senator Ricketts for coming back to the hearing and 
also standing in for Senator Braun. We are grateful for that. 
It is a busy Thursday, and we have multiple competing 
Committees all at the same time, so we are grateful for his 
work.
    As we conclude the hearing on accessible and affordable 
housing for older adults and people with disabilities, it is 
imperative that we understand the need for stable, high quality 
housing to ensure the well-being of older Americans and 
Americans with disabilities.
    Today's witnesses have talked about the importance of 
increasing the stock of accessible and affordable homes, as 
well as embedding accessibility into housing standards. 
Accessible housing includes features people may need to live 
independently like wider doorways, clear floor space for 
wheelchairs to move throughout the home, low countertops, 
assistive technology, and grab bars in bathrooms.
    Accessible design is essential to ensure the inclusion and 
active participation of all people in society--accessible 
housing that ensures all people have access to a home they can 
live in, and as we have heard today, living in well fit homes 
ensures community engagement, professional opportunities, and 
educational options.
    Building accessible homes requires joint efforts and the 
active participation of everyone, from people with 
disabilities, to developers, to advocacy organizations, to 
Federal and State governments, and the unfortunate reality is 
that millions of older Americans, of people with disabilities 
see accessible housing only as a dream.
    People like Domonique, who said, ``my entire life I have 
had to make a decision between accessibility and affordability, 
so many other Americans with disabilities do daily.'' No one, 
no one should have to make that choice. Domonique's comment, as 
well as the ones made by other witnesses, reinforces the lack 
of accessible homes and the challenges older adults and people 
with disabilities face when trying to find and pay for these 
homes.
    The five percent of national housing stock with even basic 
accessible features is clearly inadequate when 26 percent of 
our fellow Americans have a disability. I mentioned earlier the 
VITAL Act which incentivizes the building of affordable homes 
that are also accessible.
    As members of Congress, we must continue to commit to 
ensuring investment to increase the stock of accessible and 
affordable housing to meet the needs of millions of people with 
disabilities and older adults.
    I want to thank you for your testimony, and I will now turn 
to Senator Warren.
    Senator Warren. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you very 
much for holding this hearing today. Such an important topic. 
The housing shortage is a national emergency that lies at the 
root of what makes buying or renting a home, the single largest 
line item in most families' budgets, so wildly unaffordable to 
too many Americans today.
    We know how to solve the problem. We need to build more 
housing, and not just more housing, but more of every kind of 
housing. Housing for seniors. Housing for people with 
disabilities. Housing for veterans. Housing for families with 
children. Housing for single people. Housing for first time 
buyers, and on, and on.
    That undoubtedly will require new housing development and 
construction, and I believe we need serious Federal dollars to 
help make this happen, but there are also things that we can do 
to make the most of the construction that we already have.
    For example, towns all across this country are taking a 
look at their unused nonresidential properties like office 
space or long abandoned public buildings, to see if those 
spaces could better be used to serve their communities as 
housing.
    Dr. Schuetz, you have extensive experience studying the 
housing market. Now, property conversions may not work 
everywhere, all the time, but we are seeing communities 
successfully using housing conversions to create accessible and 
affordable housing for some groups.
    Are you seeing this as a way to produce more housing for 
older Americans, for people with disabilities, and for other 
groups?
    Dr. Schuetz. Absolutely. Conversion of nonresidential 
buildings to housing can add substantial amounts of housing. If 
we look at cities like Los Angeles, for instance, the downtown 
converted a lot of empty office buildings, and they work really 
well for accessible units because there are already tall 
buildings equipped with elevators, so they can work really well 
in some contexts.
    Senator Warren. Yes. You know, I want to say we are doing 
some of this in Massachusetts right now. Over the last few 
years, we have seen creative projects to convert existing 
nonresidential construction to homes for older Americans and 
for the broader population.
    In New Bedford, a 114-year-old textile mill is being 
converted into apartments for lower and middle income adults 
aged 55 and older. In Salem, two century--I am going to say 
this wrong. In Salem, two century old Catholic schools are 
being converted to a mixed income apartment for seniors and 
artists.
    Earlier this month, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced a 
bold pilot program to immediately create residential housing 
out of unused office space, and there is a lot of it, with 
about one in five of every commercial office building in 
downtown Boston currently vacant.
    Federal investment in converting formerly nonresidential 
properties into housing could help more communities expand 
their housing supply in a way that fits the needs of target 
populations, like older adults who need accessible and 
centrally located homes.
    Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, another tool that 
communities can use to get the most out of their existing 
construction. These units tend to be on the smaller side, 
something that homeowners can build on their own property, and 
then use it as rental housing.
    Think of a mother-in-law unit on the back of the lot, or 
maybe an efficiency apartment over a garage. Dr. Schuetz, could 
you say a word about how accessory dwelling units help address 
the housing shortage, especially among older adults?
    Dr. Schuetz. Accessory dwelling units can fit in a couple 
of ways. They can provide a space on the property for a 
caretaker to live, or they can provide a space for adult 
children to move in. I would point to both California and Utah 
as States that have done a lot to push making accessory 
dwelling units easier to build at the state level.
    Senator Warren. Ms. Cannington, would you like to add to 
that? You seem engaged in this conversation.
    Ms. Cannington. Thank you so much, Senator. I just want to 
add the importance of both a carrots and sticks approach to the 
affordable, accessible, and inclusive housing crisis that we 
have. It is, you know, it is essential that we have 
accessibility requirements that accurately reflect the needs of 
the growing, disabled, and older adult population.
    The bottom line is, without incentives, the developer field 
will only continue to see access as a compliance issue, but 
what we know is that access is an opportunity for everyone to 
thrive at levels that we have really never been able to fully 
realize in this country.
    Senator Warren. I think that is a really powerful point 
here. You know, this is something where--my view on this is 
more is more. We need more. In the last few years, several 
towns on Cape Cod have agreed to reform their zoning laws to 
allow for the creation of ADUs to boost the supply of year 
round housing for residents.
    Local advocacy groups have stepped up to provide modest 
financial incentives and practical assistance to homeowners to 
help them get ADUs in place. I get it, ADUs and conversions may 
not work everywhere. Every community's housing stock is 
different and particular needs are different.
    There is no getting around the need for a major Federal 
investment if we want to close the housing gap, but we can also 
help move the needle with more targeted Federal investments 
that support and expand communities' efforts to boost their 
housing stock and to ensure that everyone, and I want to 
underline everyone, has access to safe, accessible, and 
affordable place to live. Again, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. Senator Warren, thanks very much, and thanks 
for being with us today. I will wrap up by saying that I want 
to start by thanking each of our witnesses for their time 
today, their testimony, the experience, both life experience as 
well as professional experience.
    I also want to thank you for your patience in allowing us 
to have a break in between so Senator Braun and I could get to 
the HELP hearing.
    I will be submitting nine additional statements for the 
record from various constituents and stakeholders from 
Pennsylvania who have experienced issues with finding 
accessible and affordable housing and are calling on the need 
for more development.
    If any Senators have additional questions for the witnesses 
or statements to be added to the record, the hearing record 
will be kept open for seven days until next Thursday, July 
27th.
    Thank you all for participating today. This concludes our 
hearing.
    [Whereupon, at 11:35 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
      
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                                APPENDIX

     
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                           Closing Statement

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                     Closing Statement of Senator 
                       Mike Braun, Ranking Member

    Today, we heard from experts, advocates, and those with 
lived experience in dealing with housing unaffordability, 
inventory shortages, and accessibility.
    More housing needs to be built in order to lower prices.
    States and localities are on the front lines of housing 
affordability and accessibility issues.
    They are best positioned to make meaningful policy 
decisions to help bridge the gap between housing inventory and 
demand.
    Federal bureaucrats should not step in the way. We must do 
more to address federal regulatory burdens.
    Dangling money over states in exchange for updating their 
energy codes will result in new homes becoming more expensive, 
putting them out of reach for middle class Americans.
    Harmful changes to the mortgage fee framework have resulted 
in increased mortgage interest rates for many people to 
subsidize riskier borrowers with worse credit scores.
    The ability to achieve the American dream of homeownership 
is in peril as housing today is less affordable than it has 
ever been.
    When 75% of Hoosiers are unable to afford the median price 
of a new home under President Biden's economy, we know there is 
a serious issue.
    I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides 
of the aisle to make homeownership and reasonable rent more 
attainable.
    I am glad we had this hearing today and I thank Chairman 
Casey.
    I yield back.
   
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                      Prepared Witness Statements

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                       Statements for the Record

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