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U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-GA, teamed with several peers from both sides of the aisle in an effort to address what she calls a national and statewide housing crisis by introducing the Whole-Home Repairs Act of 2025 to provide essential home repair assistance to low- and moderate-income homeowners and small landlords. Williams and Troy Downing, R-MT, introduced the bipartisan bill in the House and U.S. Sens. John Fetterman, D-PA, and Cynthia Lummis, R-WY, are leading the Senate companion.

Williams said that high (and rising) utility bills and years of deferred maintenance have forced too many homeowners and renters to live with leaky or collapsed roofs, exposed wiring, mold, unsafe heating, lead paint, drafty windows, faulty plumbing, and other health and safety risks. She went on to say that in both urban and rural communities, weatherization and home repair programs have failed to address these problems – leading even more homes to fall into further disrepair.

“Too many families are forced to live in homes with dangerous health and safety risks because of repairs they can’t afford,” said Williams. “This is especially true for seniors on fixed incomes struggling to stay in the homes they worked so hard to maintain. As a homeowner, I know our homes are often our first foundation of generational wealth. The Whole-Home Repair Act will help low and moderate income homeowners make the critical repairs to ensure their homes remain safe, secure, and an asset they can pass on to future generations.”

The Georgia Congresswoman pointed to 2018 estimates that found that there were $126.9 billion in needed repairs for substandard housing across nearly every income level. She went on to say that the average home repair cost is around $3,000, and nearly 40 percent had repair costs of less than $1,000 – a small investment compared to the cost for new housing, but a critical need for homeowners and landlords who cannot afford that expense.

“These residents are often older citizens who want to age in place, new or first-time homeowners who have not yet established equity or who exhausted their savings to buy the home, and low-income individuals,” she added.

The Whole-Home Repairs Act would:

● Ensure resources reach homeowners and small landlords with the most need, providing grants to low- and moderate-income homeowners (including owner-occupants of manufactured homes) and smaller landlords who agree to fair rental practices (ensuring that benefits accrue to the community).

● Create one-stop shops to coordinate existing federal, State, and local home repair programs and assist applicants with navigating and leveraging these funding opportunities more effectively.

● Direct HUD to prioritize applicants with plans to implement the program across entire states, as well as applicants that ensure equal resources go to rural areas.

● Permit implementing organizations to incorporate workforce training and other related programs.

● Create reporting mechanisms to ensure that resources are used effectively and fairly, and that coordinating activities reduce redundancies.

According to Williams, the legislation has endorsements from Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, Inc., Council for Affordable and Rural Housing, the National Association of Home Builders, National Association of REALTORS and Habitat for Humanity International, among others.