Van Hollen, Young Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Boost Housing Mobility Vouchers, Increase Families’ Access to Affordable Housing

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) reintroduced their bipartisan Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act, legislation to create 250,000 housing mobility vouchers for the nation’s most vulnerable families with young children. The bill couples rental assistance vouchers, which allow families to choose eligible privately owned housing units and pay rent equal to 30 percent of their income, with evidence-based mobility support services, such as housing counselors and landlord coordination, to help families find affordable housing in high-opportunity areas. “Ensuring children grow up in a safe and secure home is one of the best ways we can support their success. That’s why we need to do more to make sure every family has access to an affordable place to live – and what’s more, we need to ensure affordable housing is available in neighborhoods with strong schools and good-paying jobs. As we work to expand affordable housing nationwide and increase economic mobility for all families, this bipartisan bill will boost access to housing vouchers that have already served as an effective and immediate solution – giving more parents the ability to afford a home in the location that best serves their family,” said Senator Van Hollen. “Every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a safe, stable home and reach their full potential,” said Senator Young . “Research has shown that children who move from high-poverty areas to neighborhoods with greater opportunity at a young age can see significantly higher earnings later in life. Our bipartisan legislation will give families facing homelessness and housing instability more choices about where they live, helping more children access strong schools, safe neighborhoods, and opportunities to succeed.” Research shows that higher opportunity areas offer children a greater chance to succeed. This bipartisan bill builds on this cutting-edge policy research to help families overcome barriers to opportunity and achieve generational economic mobility. In the Fiscal Year 2019 appropriations package, Senators Van Hollen and Young secured the authorization and funding of their Housing Choice Voucher Mobility Demonstration Act . The Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act would build upon their previous efforts by expanding this legislation – providing increased funds and making 250,000 more vouchers available over the next five years. Specifically, the bill: Creates an additional 250,000 housing vouchers over five years for low-income, high-need families with young children. Pregnant women and families with a child under age 6 would qualify for these new vouchers if they have a history of homelessness or housing instability, live in an area of concentrated poverty, or are at risk of being pushed out of an opportunity area. This includes families who are fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking; families who are living in housing conditions that are dangerous or life-threatening; and families who are living in units that are not accessible to a disabled family member. Provides voucher recipients with a customized approach to mobility-related services that will enable a successful transition to opportunity areas for children, including access to counseling and case management services that have a proven track record of helping families move out of poverty. Enables housing agencies to engage new landlords in the voucher program and connect families with information about housing in high-opportunity neighborhoods and community-based supports for families as they move. Full text of the bill is available here . The Senators’ legislation is supported by a broad group of experts and advocacy organizations, including: American Association of Service Coordinators, Autism Society of America, Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, Boston Medical Center, Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership, BPC Action, Caring Across Generations, Catholic Charities USA, Center for Law and Social Policy, Children’s HealthWatch, Children’s Trust Fund Alliance, Church World Service, Coalition on Human Needs, Community Solutions International, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd U.S. Region, Council of State Community Development Agencies, First Focus Campaign for Children, Family Promise, Futures Without Violence, Healthcare Anchor Network, Housing Assistance Council, Housing Justice Center, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Low Income Investment Fund, Lutheran Services in America, Mobility Works, MomsRising, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, National Affordable Housing Management Association, National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies, National Association of Social Workers, National Coalition for the Homeless, National Disability Institute, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, National Homelessness Law Center, National Housing Law Project, National Housing Resource Center, National Leased Housing Association, National Low Income Housing Coalition, National NeighborWorks Association, National Rental Home Council, National WIC Association, Opportunity Starts at Home Campaign, Parents as Teachers, PolicyLink, Poverty & Race Research Action Council, Prosperity Indiana, Public Housing Authorities Directors Association, SchoolHouse Connection, The Kelsey, Union for Reform Judaism, and ZERO TO THREE. “The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) commends Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Todd Young (R-IN) for their leadership in reintroducing the "Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act," bipartisan legislation that expands access to stable housing and high-opportunity neighborhoods for families with young children,” said Renee M. Willis, president and CEO of NLIHC . “Safe, affordable housing is essential to quality of life, supporting educational attainment, economic mobility, and health outcomes. The "Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act” represents an important step toward advancing housing stability, providing 250,000 additional vouchers to help families with young children secure affordable housing in communities of their choice.” “Safe, stable, and affordable housing is foundational to child health. Our research has consistently shown that when families struggle with unstable housing, young children face greater risk of poor health and developmental delays,” said Dr. Megan Sandel, pediatrician, and Co-Lead Principal Investigator for Children’s HealthWatch. “The Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act would give more families with young children the stability and choice they need to find an affordable home in a well-resourced neighborhood where their children can thrive. Investing in housing stability during the earliest years of life is an investment in children’s health, development, and opportunity for the future.” “BPC Action applauds Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) for reintroducing the Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act. The evidence is clear: young children whose families move to high-opportunity neighborhoods do better for life. This bill's proposed 250,000 new vouchers and mobility counseling put that within reach, advancing a key Bipartisan Policy Center recommendation. Strengthening the Housing Choice Voucher program has drawn bipartisan support for decades, and BPC Action stands ready to help Congress make it law,” said Michele Stockwell, president of BPC Action. “Starting from the earliest years of our lives, the neighborhoods we live in shape our health, education, and economic opportunities. For millions of children across the country, housing instability can mean struggling in school, experiencing poorer health, and having fewer opportunities for economic mobility into adulthood. Decades of research show us that when children have stable homes in well-resourced communities, they have better outcomes and greater opportunities to thrive. The Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act translates that evidence into a cost-effective solution. The Opportunity Starts at Home campaign is proud to champion this legislation and for its promise to give more children the stability and opportunity they deserve,” said Chantelle Wilkinson, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Campaigns at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) applauds and fully supports Senators Chris Van Hollen and Todd Young in their bipartisan introduction of the Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act that would create 250,000 new housing vouchers,” said Anthony Estreet, PhD, MBA, LCSW-C, CEO of the National Association of Social Workers . “As the nation’s largest professional social work organization, we are well aware of the fact that the most important support service for low-income families is safe and affordable housing. Therefore, we welcome this legislation that will significantly increase the availability of housing vouchers and help to end the cycle of homelessness low-income families with young children too often experience.” “The Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act builds on strong evidence that helping families with children access higher-opportunity neighborhoods significantly improves long-term economic outcomes. Findings from Opportunity Insights' Creating Moves to Opportunity and HOPE VI studies as well as HUD's Community Choice Demonstration show that mobility supports like those outlined in this bill can be implemented effectively and at scale. We support the research-informed approaches advanced by this legislation and believe they can expand opportunity for more children and families,” said Raj Chetty, Director of Opportunity Insights and Professor of Economics, Harvard University “Where a child grows up can shape everything from their health to their economic future. Through our work, the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership sees firsthand how housing mobility support services help families access communities that meet their needs and create new possibilities for their children. We thank Senators Van Hollen and Young for their continued bipartisan leadership of the Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act, which would bring the effective tools of housing mobility to more families nationwide, providing stability today while opening doors to brighter futures for the next generation,” said Adria Crutchfield, Executive Director of the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership. “Prosperity Indiana applauds Senator Young and Senator Van Hollen for reintroducing the Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act,” said Aspen Clemons, Executive Director of Prosperity Indiana. “If passed into law, this legislation would help to address Indiana’s housing affordability crisis. As of 2026, Indiana is tied for the lowest rate of housing supply in the Midwest that is affordable and available to the state’s lowest-income renters. 74% of those vulnerable households spend half or more of their incomes to afford housing, turning any small financial emergency into a risk of homelessness. Meanwhile, the median wage of all occupations in Indiana no longer pays enough to meet the housing wage needed to afford rent for a modest two-bedroom home. This legislation is an important step to providing housing and economic opportunity for all Hoosier and American families."