Introduction

Nebraska is at a crossroads. Our state's competitiveness and economic future hinge on solving the housing crisis. Failure to act on this crisis will result in shrinking and fragmented neighborhoods, diminishing community vitality, stagnant and declining economies, and worse outcomes for peoples' health and education.

In short, if we do nothing, Nebraska and Nebraskans will lose out.

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Nebraska Strategic Housing Council

The Strategic Housing Council, with support from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, Wellstone Collaborative Strategies, Queen City Development, and NIFA Board and staff, developed Nebraska's 2022 Strategic Housing Framework to outline the way forward.

Shared Priorities

To make immediate progress in addressing the two primary housing problems, the Council identified two Shared Priorities to focus on over the next five years.

Shared Priority 1: By 2028, reduce the number of households that are burdened by housing costs by 44,000, decreasing the burden of low- to middle-income households from 44 percent to 33 percent or less.

Shared Priority 2: By 2028, develop and rehabilitate 35,000 affordable and attainable low to middle-income rental and ownership housing units, thus reducing the gap in the number of needed units by about one third. This includes rehabilitating or infilling 3,000 unsafe or dilapidated properties and providing 10,000 units and any necessary supports for households making under $20,000.

Strategic Pillars

The Package of Strategies is the heart of the Framework and represents how the Council recommends addressing Nebraska's two primary housing challenges: lack of affordability and insufficient housing diversity. The strategies are organized into four Strategic Pillars.

Pillar 1: Financial Support and Incentives for Development

Pillar 2: Education and Policy

Pillar 3: Safety Net and Special Populations

Pillar 4: Workforce and Community Capacity