The White House kicked off a multiagency push on Friday to help finance real-estate developers convert more office buildings in big cities emptied by the pandemic into affordable housing, taking aim at the nation’s housing crisis.

The initiative looks to harness an existing $35 billion in low-cost loans already available through the Transportation Department to fund housing developments near transit hubs, folding it into the Biden administration’s clean energy push.

It also opens up additional funding sources and tax incentives, offering a new guidebook to 20 different federal programs that can be tapped by developers and offers technical assistance in what can end up being tricky and expensive conversions.

A third peg of the program will see the federal government draw up a public list of buildings it owns that could be made available for sale to help bolster development.

  • broface
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    13
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    Wait, we’re giving handouts to landlords so they can charge us rent?

    What the fuck is wrong with america, lol.

    • Grumpy@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      1 year ago

      The real estate industry currently out lobbies the oil industry by a factor of 10 right now. That’s what’s wrong with america.

    • Dagwood222
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      How many people do you know who say "I don’t care about politics.'?

      If everyone who paid taxes voted we wouldn’t have these problems.