Habitat for Humanity’s building solutions for our housing crisis

March 20, 2025

This week on Power House, Diego has the pleasure of being joined by Jonathan Reckford, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. Since its founding, Habitat for Humanity has helped over 62 million people in over 1,000 U.S. communities and 71 countries.

Diego and Jonathan dive into Habitat’s complex role in both the federal and local level of the US housing market and their work to help the affordability crisis, including their involvement in local zoning campaigns and advocating for federal pro-housing programs. They also talk about their collaboration with banks, builders, and local governments, and why this cooperation is the key to solving the housing crisis.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

There is a significant supply gap in the U.S. housing market that needs to be addressed at a larger scale.
Nationwide NIMBYism is a challenge to building affordable housing in communities.
Collaboration with local governments is essential for effective, boots-on-the-groud housing policy.
The housing crisis is a national issue that affects all demographics.
Creating more starter homes is crucial for improving access to homeownership.
Habitat believes that a mixed-income community benefits everyone.

Related to this episode:

The Power House podcast brings the biggest names in housing to answer hard-hitting questions about industry trends, operational and growth strategy, and leadership. Join HousingWire president Diego Sanchez every Thursday morning for candid conversations with industry leaders to learn how they’re differentiating themselves from the competition. Hosted and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.