To achieve this goal, the Millennial Housing Commission recommends that the links between housing and the community in which it is located be strengthened, that authority and responsibility for making decisions about housing remain in the hands of state and local governments, that the role of the private sector in producing affordable housing be enhanced, and that the goals of sustainability and affordability be placed on equal footing so that continued affordability is no longer the enemy of proper physical maintenance. All affordable housing needs to be designed, financed, and managed to be sustainable over the long term. These policy principles underpin all of the Commission’s recommendations to Congress. The recommendations made in this report also rest upon the assumption that every part of the housing, real estate, mortgage, and community development industries must operate without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, disability, family status, or religion.

A summary of the Commission’s 13 principal recommendations follows. These recommendations are divided into three categories: new tools, major reforms of existing programs, and streamlining of existing programs. The policy principles of strengthening communities, devolving decision-making, involving the private sector, and ensuring sustainability inform all of the recommendations. The recommendations derive from nearly a century of experience. They represent lessons learned and a reaffirmation of the importance of housing to the nation as a whole, its communities, neighborhoods, families, and citizens. (Authors)