Deuter Bill to Boost Housing for Middle-Income Earners Passes House

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Middle-income families will have an easier time finding housing in their communities, under legislation sponsored by state Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst.

House Bill 4571 builds upon local efforts to boost housing options for ‘missing middle’ earners, referring to earners who may not qualify for existing programs or low-income housing opportunities, but still find themselves unable to find housing that fits their budget. Examples include first responders, teachers, nurses, and other essential workers often who fail to qualify for traditional housing programs yet remain priced out of the current local market.

“Robust communities start with a healthy housing supply,” Deuter said. “When we give local governments more flexibility to face the issues they’re seeing on the ground, we’re providing working families a realistic path to planting roots in the communities they love.”

This bill provides local leaders the flexibility to strengthen their middle-market housing inventory by enabling them to:

• Acquire and transfer properties for the purpose of building new middle-income housing developments.
• Offer developers incentives to develop new middle-income housing, including grants and infrastructure upgrades.
• Create, develop or preserve affordable housing units, as well as the ability to negotiate environmental remediation for sites.

The bill comes after other states, such as California, Florida and New York have passed similar legislation, aiming to boost their own supply of middle-income housing.

“When the people who teach our children and protect our neighborhoods can’t find housing they can afford, they are forced to look further away,” Deuter said. “This adds time to commutes, increases traffic on our roadways, and ultimately makes our communities feel less connected. We must ensure that DuPage remains a place where professional families can afford to live, work, and stay.”

The legislation recently passed the House of Representatives and heads to the Senate for consideration.

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