Media Release

Contact:
Barbara O’Malley, Acting Executive Director
Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity
(Cell) 720-616-9414
(Email) ba*****@***************at.org
www.blackhillshabitat.org

Rapid City, SD Feb. 9, 2026 — Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity will join hundreds of local Habitat organizations and affordable housing advocates on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 10-12 to amplify the growing demand that Congress take action to expand the supply of affordable starter homes to address the national housing crisis.

During Habitat on the Hill, the three-day, D.C. based event, advocates from 48 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico will travel to meet with Congressional leaders. Affordability remains a top issue facing Americans, and rural, urban, and suburban communities nationwide are experiencing this historic loss of affordable homeownership opportunities, which is driving the overall crisis.

The shortage of starter homes impedes workers’ access to job markets with economic opportunities, holds back local economies, exacerbates the wealth gap, and keeps millions of would-be homebuyers in the rental market.

But there is hope. For the first time in recent decades, there is growing momentum in Congress to tackle the affordable housing issue.

Both the House and Senate have taken important steps in advancing bipartisan housing legislation – the Senate through the ROAD to Housing Act (S. 2651) and the House through the Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644). Congress must keep this momentum going, work to combine these two packages and pass a bipartisan housing package as soon as possible that will take meaningful action to help address our nation’s housing crisis and increase supply.

Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity will meet with the offices of Senator John Thune, Senator Mike Rounds, and Representative Dusty Johnson to urge their support.

“We know that solving the housing crisis here in the Black Hills and across the country requires meaningfully increasing the supply of affordable starter homes,” said Barbara O’Malley, Acting Executive Director. “We need bold policy action, and we’re committed to partnering with lawmakers who share our desire for every family to have access to a safe, decent and affordable place to call home.”

In addition to the legislative priorities above, advocates will urge representatives to:

Fund the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP) at no less than $20 million in the Transportation-HUD appropriations bill.
Fund the Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) at no less than $1.5 billion in the Transportation-HUD appropriations bill.
Fund the USDA Section 502 Direct Loan Program at no less than $1.25 billion in the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration appropriations bill.

This year, advocates will also call on elected officials to act and champion Habitat’s legislative priority, the Homeownership Supply Accelerator, a plan designed to rapidly increase construction of affordable homes in the United States.

The Homeownership Supply Accelerator aims to create a source of flexible financial assistance that supports property acquisition, new home construction and rehabilitation, and other financial barriers faced by for-profit and non-profit developers serving modest-income homebuyers.

This milestone year marks the 20th Habitat on the Hill coinciding with Habitat for Humanity’s 50th anniversary. Over the last five decades, Habitat has helped more than 65 million people build or improve the place they call home.

About Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity

A nonprofit Christian housing organization dedicated to creating a world where everyone has a decent place to live, Black Hills Area Habitat for Humanity brings together people with resources and financing to build and repair simple, decent, affordable homes. Black Hills Area Habitat has served over 423 families locally and globally since 1990. Black Hills Area Habitat ReStore locations in Rapid City and Spearfish help raise funds through items donated and sold. For more information, visit www.blackhillshabitat.org or call 605-348-9196.

About Habitat for Humanity International

Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort on a community farm in southern Georgia. The Christian housing organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand-up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering, or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability, and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.