The Housing Crisis Is Skyrocketing. Appalachia Has a Plan.

America’s housing crisis is impossible to ignore. Home prices and rents are rising, starter homes are vanishing, and safe, affordable housing is harder to find than ever. The math is stark: construction of starter homes is down from nearly 500,000 annually in the late 1970s to barely 50,000 in recent years. Families are being priced out, and communities everywhere are feeling the strain.

In Appalachia, where I live and work, the shortage is especially severe—an estimated 500,000 units. Many homes are aging and no longer meet the needs of families. The 2008 housing crash exposed the depth of the problem, but the response never matched the scale of the crisis.

Today, affordable housing is still out of reach for many families, particularly in more economically isolated regions like Appalachia. The shortage continues to drive costs up and redefine what “affordable” means for working families.

But Appalachia is also showing the way forward. At Fahe, we know a house is more than a roof over your head. It’s the foundation for economic stability, better health, and stronger communities.

That’s why we built a network of local organizations focused on improving access to affordable housing.

Building from a foundation of trust, the network has empowered communities to work together, instead of competing for limited resources. Together, we’ve generated new financing solutions to create opportunities for families to buy their own homes and innovated with new construction techniques and modular housing to improve energy efficiency and lower costs.

Over the past five years, our network has built or repaired more than 30,000 homes. In Kentucky alone, we’ve invested $217 million in housing and community development, improving life for nearly 7,000 households. Our network has aided communities recovering from disasters, helped growing families secure mortgages, and renovated aging homes so seniors can remain safe and independent. These investments ripple outward, creating jobs, helping families build wealth, and supporting children’s education. All becoming stories of resilience, recovery, and revitalization.

We did all of this because we understand that housing can’t wait. Families struggling to pay rent or living in unsafe homes cannot afford delays. That urgency is why we are committing to double our production — from 30,000 to 60,000 homes in the next five years — and to reach 1 million more people through new builds, repairs, and services.

Meeting this challenge will require $3 billion in investment. Government, financial institutions, philanthropy, and business leaders all have a role to play. Forging a coalition that spans these sectors, we can break the cycle of poverty and build a community of opportunity. We’re asking national organizations, policy makers, and leaders to shift how they think about places like Appalachia. Instead of parachuting in to try to solve the problem, trust local organizations who are already succeeding to do the work and help catalyze the effort. Invest in the region through local communities who know what they need to make the difference.

For far too long, Appalachia has been a symbol of poverty, and we as a country have failed to address the deep-rooted challenges facing the region.

But if we can solve the housing crisis here, we can solve it anywhere.

Housing Can’t Wait® is a call to action. We must move beyond short-term solutions and tackle the persistent issues that make housing so unaffordable. Every American deserves the opportunity for a safe, affordable place to live. Now is the time to invest and make it happen.