Habitat Bay Waveland Urges Mississippi Lawmakers to Advance Bipartisan Action to Expand Affordable Starter Homes

Bay St. Louis, MS (February 20, 2026) — Habitat Bay Waveland Executive Director, Brian Murphy, joined hundreds of affordable housing leaders on Capitol Hill this month during Habitat on the Hill, a three-day national advocacy event organized by Habitat for Humanity International. Representatives from 48 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico met with members of Congress to urge bipartisan action on expanding the supply of affordable starter homes and addressing America’s escalating housing crisis.

Across rural, suburban, and urban communities, the limited supply of affordable starter homes is restricting workers’ access to economic opportunity, slowing local growth, widening the wealth gap, and keeping millions of families locked in the rental market without a path to stability.

According to USAfacts.org, Mississippi faces its own stark housing challenges. Nearly one in four households spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs, a burden that leaves families with less for food, healthcare, and savings — and limits opportunities to build long-term financial security. Despite lower overall home prices compared with many parts of the country, the state still struggles to match housing supply with local needs.

However, there is hope - for the first time in recent decades, there is growing momentum in Congress to address the issue. Both the House and Senate have taken important steps in advancing bipartisan housing legislation – the Senate through the ROAD to Housing Act (S. 2651) and the House through the Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644). Congress must keep this momentum going, working to combine these two packages and pass a bipartisan housing package as soon as possible that will take meaningful action to help address our nation's housing crisis and increase supply.  Advocates are now calling on lawmakers to combine these efforts and swiftly pass comprehensive housing legislation that meaningfully increases supply.

“We know that solving the housing crisis requires a substantial increase in the supply of affordable starter homes,” said Brian Murphy, Executive Director of Habitat Bay Waveland. “We need bold, bipartisan policy solutions, and we stand ready to partner with lawmakers who believe every family deserves access to a safe, decent, and affordable place to call home.”

Advocates also championed Habitat’s federal legislative priority: the Homeownership Supply Accelerator- a plan designed to rapidly increase construction of affordable homes in the United States. The Homeownership Supply Accelerator aims to create a source of flexible financial assistance that supports property acquisition, new home construction and rehabilitation, and other financial barriers faced by for-profit and non-profit developers serving modest-income homebuyers .

“As the Habitat network raises its collective voice for national action, we are reminded that meaningful change begins at home,” Murphy added. “We urge Mississippi’s congressional delegation to lead on this issue and help expand homeownership opportunities for families across our state and country.”

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About Habitat Bay Waveland

For more than 15 years, Habitat Bay Waveland has partnered with families in Hancock and Pearl River counties to build affordable homes and strengthen communities. Guided by the vision of “a world where everyone has a decent place to live,” the organization brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope.