Workforce and attainable housing supply
Post-pandemic population growth has driven a housing affordability crisis. The governor proposed a $30 million Starter Home Revolving Loan Fund; lawmakers redirected those dollars into a Community Workforce Housing Innovation Pilot Program administered by THDA targeting areas with the largest income-to-price gaps, alongside other LIHTC and incentive bills.
What approach should Tennessee take to increase attainable and workforce housing supply?
Tap a point along the line below to show where you stand.
How important is this to you?
✓ You told us where you stand
Sources
Think Tennessee — https://www.thinktennessee.org/blog/2026-tennessee-legislative-session-recap-a-focus-on-economic-security-elections-and-good-governance
In this year’s budget proposal, the governor proposed allocating $30 million to THDA to implement a Starter Home Revolving Loan Fund... The legislature instead reallocated the funding to a Community Workforce Housing Innovation Pilot Program...
Enterprise Community Partners / Erika Thomas — https://www.enterprisecommunity.org/community-highlights/tennessee-2026-legislative-session-summary
Over the last few years, Tennessee has experienced a growing housing affordability crisis spurred in large part by the post-pandemic boom in population... lawmakers did redirect these dollars to a new workforce housing pilot program.
Positions on this issue · liberal → conservative
- Large-scale public housing investment, strong tenant protections, and inclusionary mandates
- Expand state revolving funds, LIHTC rules, and subsidies for attainable home construction
- Support targeted workforce-housing pilots and incentives in high-growth, high-gap areas
- Rely mainly on deregulation and private builders with minimal new state housing programs
- Avoid new state housing spending; let market supply and local zoning alone set prices