Related Resources
- The National League of Cities, in partnership with the American Planning Association, released the Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook: Solutions, Systems, Partnerships. This resource is designed to help communities navigate their housing supply challenges.
- The National League of Cities, in partnership with the American Planning Association, released the Housing Supply Accelerator Field Guide. The Field Guide is a journal to help communities organize thoughts and ideas to address local housing supply; it is a companion piece to the Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook.
- The National League of Cities published the 2022 State-by-State Housing Affordability Report, which provides information on affordable housing tools and resources available to local leaders.
- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published an Affordable Housing Supply Quick Guide (PDF). This resource provides information on how to use HUD’s community planning and development programs to increase the supply of affordable housing.
- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published the Advancing Equity in Local Housing Development Implementation Guide. This resource provides local governments with policies and practices for pursuing a more equitable impact when adding housing to their communities.
- The Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the University of California at Berkeley released an interactive resource on Demystifying Development Math, which unpacks the process for a developer to build and finance new housing projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click the arrow next to each question to view the answer.
Will the housing database be kept up-to-date?
Researchers plan to update federal and state programs quarterly. Additionally, based on NLC member feedback, the Filling the Gap tool may continue to evolve.
How can I add my community’s story to the list of case studies?
Complete this survey to provide NLC with key information on your municipality’s Filling the Gap housing finance story. NLC will review submissions and update case studies on a quarterly basis.
Who should I contact to learn more?
If you have questions about the Filling the Gap tool or you would like to learn more about housing at NLC, contact housing@nlc.org.
What is Area Median Income (AMI)?
HUD estimates the Area Median Income (AMI) for metropolitan areas on an annual basis. HUD uses AMIs to set income limits that determine applicant eligibility for HUD’s assisted housing programs. Many state and local housing programs use AMIs to set applicant affordability requirements, as noted in program descriptions throughout the database.
What is “Affordable Housing?”
According to HUD, “affordable housing” is defined as housing that a household or individual can attain without spending more than 30% of their gross income on rent and utilities.
Project Notes
The program details in this tool are relevant as of 2024. NLC researchers gathered the data in this tool from June through September 2024. The federal programs were sourced from federal government agency websites and grants.gov. The state programs were compiled from official state government websites, such as state departments of housing and community development, state housing finance authorities, state housing development authorities, state departments of economic development and more. Researchers also referenced the National Low-Income Housing Coalition’s Rental Housing Database in collecting state programs and local case studies. The sources for each federal and state program are noted in the “Link” column of the housing finance database.
In researching the local policy levers, researchers investigated non-preemption topics to ensure that they did not relate to issues of local authority or could not be preempted. If they clearly did not relate to local authority, could not be preempted, and/or did not have a dataset, researchers did not conduct a more extensive review.
For each program or policy lever in this dashboard, researchers coded the “use of funds” as housing preservation, housing production or both based on the definitions laid out in the tool.
In compiling the municipal case studies, researchers ensured a wide distribution across geographic regions and population sizes to illustrate many diverse examples of cities “closing the funding gap” in housing development. Municipal leaders reviewed their respective case studies for accuracy.
Municipal populations were sourced from the 2020 Decennial Census, and municipalities were matched with their Congressional District using Census data from the 118th Congress. Note that the 118th Congressional District reflects the 2022 election cycle. Five states (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, and North Carolina) delineated new boundaries for the 2024 election cycle, but all other states and territories had no changes to their congressional district boundaries from the 2022 cycle. When the 119th Congressional District data is available, researchers plan to update the Congressional District case study map.
In October 2024, NLC conducted user testing to ensure that the tool was useable and informative for housing experts and local leaders, drawing on key contacts from the Housing Supply Accelerator and subject matter experts within NLC. Project leads used feedback to update the user experience and improve resource provision. While NLC intends to provide a holistic overview of the programs and policies available to municipalities in each state, this is not an exhaustive list, and additional funding sources may be available. Local leaders and municipal staff should conduct additional research into each of these housing finance programs to determine if the program is right for their municipality.
The Filling the Gap Tool will be updated quarterly to ensure the timeliness and accuracy of program opportunities at the federal and state levels and incorporate new case studies from localities across the US.
NLC Authors: Stephanie Onuaja, Program Manager of Housing and Community Development and Sarah Minster, Senior Research Specialist.
Housing Supply Accelerator
Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook
Housing Supply is a High Priority for Local Governments
Balancing Housing Supply and the Risk of Displacement
- Stephanie Onuaja
Manufactured Housing: Making Homeownership Attainable
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