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NEARLY 70 PERCENT OF AMERICANS ARE MORE LIKELY TO CHOOSE A 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WITH PLANS FOR ADDRESSING AFFORDABLE HOUSING

New Compelling Nationwide Zogby Poll, Commissioned by a Coalition of Organizations, Also Reveals That 9 Out of 10 Americans Cite Affordable Housing as a High Priority

Announcement Kicks-Off “Housing America 2007” Campaign Aimed at Raising Public Consciousness of the Critical Roll of Housing and Community Development Initiatives

Washington, DC (March 21, 2007) – Nearly 70 percent of Americans are more likely to choose a 2008 presidential candidate who articulates his or her detailed plan for providing affordable housing, according to a new nationwide Zogby poll released today and commissioned by a coalition of public, private and non-profit advocacy groups, including the National Housing Conference (NHC), the nation’s premier public policy and housing advocacy organization. The results of the poll were released at a kick-off event for a nationwide affordable housing awareness campaign entitled “Housing America 2007,” which is being spearheaded by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).

“Without question, today’s poll announcement emphasizes that addressing affordable housing is an urgent need and a priority for families nationwide," said Conrad Egan, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference (NHC), a member of the coalition of organizations that released the results of the Zogby poll. “Although affordable housing was often considered a lower level concern, it has inevitably emerged, given the effect on so many more families, as a topic that will be a principal concern for Americans when they vote in 2008, at the local, state and federal levels.”

Greater Detail – Zogby Poll Results

The following are the (5) questions and related results from the nationwide Zogby Poll on affordable housing:

Q: Would you be more or less likely to select a Presidential candidate who articulated his or her detailed plan for providing affordable housing? As mentioned above, nearly 70 percent of Americans are more likely to choose a 2008 candidate who articulates his or her detailed plan for providing affordable housing.

Q: How important an issue is providing affordable housing in your community? Approximately 9 out of 10 Americans cite affordable housing as a high priority.

Q: Do you believe as a nation we are on the right rack or the wrong track towards the achievement of this goal? More than half believe housing policy with respect to providing affordable housing is on the wrong track.

Q: Thinking about the issues that are important to you, how important are a candidate’s ideas on how to provide more affordable housing in this country helping you choose which Presidential candidate to vote for in 2008? Nearly 75 percent of Americans polled said that presidential candidates’ ideas for providing more affordable housing were important in determining for whom they would vote.

Q: On a list of your own individual/family priorities, how important is having a decent affordable place to live? One-third of respondents cited having a decent, affordable place to live as their number one priority.

About Housing America 2007

For a growing and more economically-diverse number of families, children, seniors and persons with disabilities, affordable housing in quality communities is illusionary. Housing America 2007 aims to raise public consciousness of the critical role of housing and community development initiatives and the fundamental benefits the nation receives from these activities. From March 21 – April 9, 2007, affordable-housing advocates across the country will participate in the campaign by sponsoring events or activities designed to highlight the critical affordable housing shortage and the need for programs, policies and resources to more effectively address local housing needs.

The groups have united in the Housing America 2007 campaign to address the housing needs of a nation in which an estimated 754,000 are homeless on any given night, and minimum wage earners are unable to afford a one-bedroom home anywhere in the country. Housing America 2007 asks that we, as a nation, recommit ourselves to a goal of meeting the housing needs of all Americans.

Link to More Information About the Zogby Poll and Housing America 2007.

Coalition Members and Housing America 2007 Participants:

National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Housing Assistance Council
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Mortgage Bankers Association
National Association of Counties
National Association of Home Builders
National Association of Realtors
National Council of State Housing Agencies
National Housing Conference
National League of Cities
National Low Income Housing Coalition
U.S. Conference of Mayors

Housing America 2007 Endorsers:

American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
Council of Large Public Housing Authorities
National Affordable Housing Management Association
National Community Development Association
National Housing Trust
Public Housing Authorities Directors Association

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