Brown, Blunt Rochester, Gimenez Introduce Legislation to Preserve and Repair Distressed Affordable Multifamily Housing

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11), Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE), and Congressman Carlos Gimenez (FL-28) have introduced legislation to preserve and repair affordable housing and help more families remain in their homes and access affordable housing. The Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act creates a new federal loan program for renovations to HUD-assisted housing. This new loan program would improve existing housing stock and help make sure that the affordable housing shortage does not get worse as older properties fall into disuse. 

According to National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), the U.S. has an affordable rental home shortage of 7.2 million. This means that only 35 affordable and available rental homes exist for every 100 low-income households. The NLIHC analysis found that Ohio has an affordable housing gap of over 265,000 units, including a 54,000 affordable unit housing shortage in the Cleveland Metro area. A 2025 study by Cuyahoga County cited “aging infrastructure” and “the need for robust rehabilitation programs” as key local housing challenges.  The median home in the Cleveland Metro Area was built in 1963 and is now 63 years old and 22% of homes in Cleveland were built before 1940. 

Cleveland has seen firsthand the challenges of preserving distressed federally assisted multifamily housing. Rainbow Terrace, a HUD-assisted apartment complex in the Garden Valley neighborhood, has faced decades of federal intervention, rehabilitation efforts, and resident concerns about property conditions, including a fatal explosion in 2025. The Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act would give HUD an additional tool to intervene when assisted multifamily properties face serious physical deficiencies and existing rents cannot support the financing needed for rehabilitation.

“We must address the affordable housing crisis from all angles. This means building more affordable housing, but it also means preserving the housing we already have. I’m proud to partner with Senator Blunt Rochester and Congressman Gimenez on The Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act, which provides needed capital to repair, renovate, and preserve HUD-assisted housing. Cleveland has seen at properties like Rainbow Terrace how serious the consequences can be when federally assisted multifamily housing falls into distress. This bill gives HUD another tool to finance critical repairs, preserve long-term affordability, and, when necessary, help qualified new owners step in before affordable housing is lost,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown. 

“Earlier this year, the first comprehensive housing legislation became law after more than three decades, but with a nationwide shortage of nearly 4-7 million affordable housing units, it becomes more important than ever to preserve the affordable units that we do have,” said Senator Blunt Rochester. “I’m proud to introduce this bill alongside Congresswoman Brown to build on the achievements of the 21^st Century Road to Housing Act by providing long-overdue support for existing affordable housing units and encouraging investments that contribute to their long-term success.” 

The Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act is endorsed by: the Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC), the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the National Housing Trust (NHT), the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association (NH&RA), the National Leased Housing Association (NLHA), the Housing Partnership Network, the Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), the Ohio Credit Union League, Better Homes of Seaford, the Delaware League of Local Governments, the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League (MWUL), the Wilmington Housing Authority, WRK Group, and YWCA Delaware.   

The Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act is part of Congresswoman Brown’s Safe and Affordable Housing Agenda, a legislative package announced by Brown in June that also includes legislation to strengthen lead-removal efforts and to encourage more new homebuilding.  

Former Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown first introduced the Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act in 2024. This is the first time the bill has been filed in the House. 

The Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act

• Provides loans to qualified owners of distressed HUD-assisted multifamily housing to make renovations necessary to preserve and improve the property. 
• Loans provided would be at 1% interest for the length of the 30-year affordability period. 
• Eligible recipients would be HUD-approved purchasers and owners of federally assisted multifamily housing. 

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