The housing shortage in Massachusetts has been rough on people looking for homes. And although the housing crunch is especially prominent in the Bay State, it’s a nationwide problem.
U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, MA-4, and a few of his colleagues are stepping up the push to fix that in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“The cost of housing is the greatest economic challenge facing Massachusetts,” Auchincloss said. “The answer: build more housing. At all levels of government, Americans need permitting & land use reforms that unlock more housing production.”
Auchincloss and fellow House members Scott Peters, CA-50; Robert Garcia; CA-42, Marc Molinaro, NY-19; Juan Ciscomani, AZ-06; Brittany Pettersen, CO-07; and Chuck Edwards, NC-11, have launched the “Yes In My Back Yard” (YIMBY) Caucus to promote housing development throughout the country.
The term “YIMBY” is a play on the acronym “NIMBY,” which stands for “not in my back yard” and is often used to describe efforts to limit housing development or stop planned developments from being built.
There’s even a nonprofit organization—YIMBY Action—devoted to getting more housing of various kinds built across America to offset the impacts of anti-housing policies.
“Across the country, people are suffering under the weight of ever-higher housing costs,” YIMBY Action Executive Director Laura Foote said. “Our national housing shortage is pushing people down into poverty, away from opportunity, and throws a wet blanket on our economy. Building more housing near jobs has the ability to uplift millions of Americans and rebuild the middle class. We’re thrilled that a decade of YIMBY activism has led to this moment, and we’re grateful to the bipartisan leaders tackling America’s housing shortage head on.”
The YIMBY caucus is aimed at fostering new housing development, removing regulatory obstacles to development and investing in infrastructure to build walkable neighborhoods. Part if this will include regular meetings with state and local officials to address housing challenges on the ground.
It’s estimated that the country is short up to seven million housing units. In Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey has promised to get thousands of new homes built in the next few years, and she recently signed the biggest housing bond bill in the state’s history.