(BEREA, Ky.) — NEWS: Fahe today announced the expansion of its Housing Can’t Wait® initiative through a coordinated, multi-state advocacy campaign designed to elevate housing as a central economic and workforce priority across Appalachia.
Across Appalachia, housing shortages are not accidental. They are the result of decades of underinvestment, constrained capital, and policy gaps that have limited production in rural and underserved communities. Employers struggle to recruit workers. Young families leave for lack of attainable starter homes. Economic development initiatives stall without sufficient housing supply.
Housing Can’t Wait connects these housing supply gaps directly to state-level economic performance and advances practical, investment-ready solutions to increase production.
As part of this expansion, Fahe is deploying a targeted omni-channel digital campaign across Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, West Virginia, and Virginia. The campaign combines state-specific data with compelling visual storytelling to illustrate how housing shortages drive worker shortages, reduce family stability, and limit long-term competitiveness.
Digital placements are strategically targeted to policymakers, legislative staff, economic development leaders, and key influencers in and around state capitols – ensuring housing remains visible during critical legislative and budget discussions.
“Housing is economic infrastructure,” said Maggie Riden, Chief External Affairs Officer at Fahe. “When housing supply falls short, workforce growth slows. State leaders have a clear opportunity to strengthen economic competitiveness by prioritizing housing investment, and we are providing data-driven, implementation-ready pathways to make that possible.”
Solving the housing challenge requires sustained state-level leadership aligned with proven financing tools and regional expertise-like the capabilities Fahe and our 50+ Member organizations bring to communities across Appalachia.
While federal housing programs remain important, state governments have powerful tools to address supply constraints. Flexible state-level funding mechanisms can fill financing gaps, respond to local market conditions, support workforce housing tied to economic development, and leverage private and philanthropic capital.
Housing Can’t Wait equips policymakers with:
* State-specific housing supply data
* Clear legislative recommendations
* Proven funding mechanisms
* Implementation-ready policy pathways
With this five-state expansion, Housing Can’t Wait reinforces a simple reality: economic growth depends on housing supply – and state action can accelerate results.
About Fahe
Fahe unites people, organizations, and resources to build homes, strengthen communities, and create a thriving Appalachia. Since 1980, Fahe and its Members have invested nearly $5 billion, improving life for more than one million people through housing and community development. Fahe is leading a regional performance challenge with our 50+ Member organizations to double housing production across Appalachia by 2030.
Learn more at https://fahe.org/ and https://www.housingcantwait.org/.
Related link: https://fahe.org/
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