National Association of Counties launches program to increase housing supply in urban counties

Six counties selected for inaugural Counties for Housing Solutions cohort

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Association of Counties (NACo) and Smart Growth America today announced the launch of the first Counties for Housing Solutions (C4HS) cohort, a program designed to increase housing supply in urban counties. 

C4HS was launched to help counties implement recommendations from NACo’s 2023 Housing Task Force, convened with the goal of addressing America’s housing crisis. By implementing strategies to increase housing supply, counties will bring down rents and create a pathway to upward economic mobility for American families. 

“NACo’s Housing Task Force provided a roadmap to address our nation’s housing crisis from a county perspective,” said Ashleigh Holand, director of NACo’s Counties Futures Lab. “This program is part of our continued commitment to enhance housing affordability and our residents’ quality of life.” 

Throughout 2024 and 2025, NACo will administer three C4HS cohorts in partnership with Smart Growth America. The first will help counties develop underutilized, county-owned land as affordable housing, following a plan that runs from identifying available land and evaluating sites, to planning community engagement and partnering with potential developers. Participating counties will also identify financing to support the planned housing development. 

The six counties selected for the inaugural cohort are: 

• Guilford County, N.C. 
• Harris County, Texas 
• Hidalgo County, Texas 
• Jackson County, Mo. 
• Salt Lake County, Utah 
• Shelby County, Tenn. 

“Housing is a critical component of what creates a vibrant and equitable community,” said Toccarra Nicole Thomas, Director of Land Use and Development at Smart Growth America. “The Counties for Housing Solutions program supports local leaders in developing affordable housing in real-time and will serve as an important example for other counties considering how to create more affordable housing and economic growth in their own communities.” 

Counties for Housing Solutions is part of NACo’s larger Counties for Economic Mobility initiative, which advances practices for equitable upward economic mobility to move individuals and families out of poverty. The initiative is funded through a grant from the Gates Foundation. 

For more information about the Counties for Housing Solutions program, click here.