I had the privilege to work during 2001 and 2002 as an observer to the Millennial Housing Commission for the Secretary of HUD Mel Martinez. This bi-partisan commission was appointed by the Congress of the United States. The Co-Chairs were the Honorable Susan Molinari, a former Member of Congress, and Richard Ravitch, one of the leading housing experts in our nation over the last 40 years. The report was filed with the Appropriations and Financial Services Committee in the House and the Appropriations and Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs in the Senate on May 30, 2002.

The 22 Commissioners over the last 17 months performed a thorough re-examination of the Federal Housing program's successes and failures in meeting the nation’s housing challenges. I can personally testify to their hard work and professionalism. As stated in a letter from the Co-Chairs, housing represents the single largest expenditure for most American families and is the single largest source of wealth for most homeowners. They stated that housing is inextricably linked to access to jobs in healthy communities and the social behavior of the families who occupy it. The failure to achieve adequate housing leads to significant societal cost. The Co-Chairs went on to indicate that there is simply not enough affordable housing. There is a tremendous difference between the mainstream population and minority population. For mainstream America, American’s homeownership rate is 67.8%. Direct federal assistance for rental housing now reaches 4.8 million low and moderate income families who cannot afford housing on the open market. More than 1 million additional affordable renters are assisted through tax credits and block grants. However, for poor households and minority households, the picture is not so bright. In 1999, 1 in 4 American households (almost 28 million) reported spending more on housing than the Federal government considers affordable and appropriate (more than 30% of income). Furthermore, 1.7 million lower income households live in severely inadequate housing, placing their health and safety at risk. Despite the 1990’s homeownership boom, black and Hispanic ownership rates in 2001 lagged behind the homeownership rate of whites by almost 27 percentage points. The nation today faces a widening gap between the demand for affordable housing and the supply for it.

The report presents a new vision for the Nation’s housing. “The Millennial Housing Commission’s vision can be stated quite simply: produce and preserve more sustainable, affordable housing in healthy communities to help American families progress up the ladder of economic opportunity.” One of the primary recommendations is that the link between housing and the community in which it is located be strengthened and that authority and responsibility for making decisions about housing remain in the hands of the state and local governments; that the role of the private sector in producing affordable housing be enhanced; and that the goal of sustainability and affordability be placed on equal footing so that continued affordability is no longer the enemy of proper physical maintenance. All affordable housing needs to be designed, financed and managed to be sustainable over the long term. These policies undergird all of the Commission's recommendations to Congress.

Secretary Martinez, in a release dated 6/2/02, stated, “The bi-partisan Millennial Housing Commission created by Congress reported that one of the themes consistently expressed in the public hearings was that housing is a predominately local issue. As a former locally elected official, I could not agree more. In my travels throughout the country, I have seen the way in which exclusionary zoning, costly building fees and regulatory barriers can drive up housing costs and drive out affordable housing. It comes as no surprise that areas with the most restrictive land use and zoning regulations also have affordable housing shortages.”

The Commission made 13 principal regulations which are divided into three categories: new tools, major reforms in existing programs, and streamlining of existing programs. In following articles, if events permit, I will outline the recommendations made by the Millennial Housing Commission in more detail.

Lou Frey represented Central Florida in the U. S. Congress from 1969 to 1979. In his last election, he received 78% of the vote. He was elected one of five Republican leaders in the House of Representatives during the 93^rd and 94^th Congress. He served on...