CAMBRIDGE, MA — Across the US, persistent affordability challenges and rising economic uncertainty are hurting housing conditions, with weakening labor markets and plummeting immigration dampening household growth and mobility. 

According to a preliminary statement from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, sales of existing homes sit at three-decade lows, inventories are rising amid high homebuying costs, and rents have declined as demand has slipped and vacancies have increased. Meanwhile, cost burdens have hit another record high for renters and worsened for homeowners, while assistance remains profoundly underfunded. 

To address the crises on multiple fronts, states and localities are seeking new tools to bring down costs and protect their most vulnerable residents, but private-sector innovations and more robust federal action will also be necessary to meaningfully reduce the nation’s severe and widespread housing challenges.

The State of the Nation’s Housing 2026 will be released on June 17 during a livestream at 4:00 p.m. (ET).

Agenda
4:00 p.m. — Opening Remarks
Chris Herbert, Managing Director, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies

4:05 p.m. —  Presentation of Report Findings
Daniel McCue, Senior Research Associate, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies

4:15 p.m. — Panel Discussion
Erin Baldassari, Senior Editor, Housing Affordability, KQED (moderator)
Chris Herbert, Managing Director, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Marietta Rodriguez, President and CEO, NeighborWorks America 
Stockton Williams, Executive Director, National Council of State Housing Agencies
Sharon Wilson Géno, President, National Multifamily Housing Council