Overview

As governors work to improve the quality of life for their citizens, the affordability and availability of housing is a key issue affecting their states and communities. Governors are active in promoting affordable housing policies to achieve a number of policy goals, including maintaining a strong, growing state economy, enhancing the ability of the state to attract and retain new workers and businesses, and improving the quality of life for state residents. A limited supply of affordable housing can affect a state in a number of negative ways, making it more difficult for young, well-educated professionals to remain in the state or region, and making it harder for the state to attract new workers. Without access to workers, businesses located in the state may forgo expansion, and businesses considering locating in the state may go elsewhere.

Focus of Center Activities

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), with multi-year support from the Fannie Mae Foundation, provides assistance to governors and their advisors to help them develop policies to support the maintenance and augmentation of the supply affordable housing. The Center is actively identifying the affordable housing challenges facing the states, determining best practices, and facilitating the development of policy solutions.

NGA Center staff also provide governors and their policy advisors with targeted technical assistance and other support relating to housing and community development. For more information, please contact the staff members listed on this page.

Related NGA Center Issues:

• Brownfields
• Community Design
• Healthy Communities
• Economic Development
• Transportation and Land Use Planning
• Workforce Development

Related Links:

• Fannie Mae Foundation
• Dataplace