Affordable Housing

The ABA Foundation, an affordable housing and community development champion, empowers banks across all asset classes to support homeownership and wealth generation. Our mission is to help banks revitalize neighborhoods and communities throughout the United States. This webpage is a comprehensive resource designed to equip bankers with the tools and knowledge they need to invest in affordable housing solutions locally throughout the year.

Each June, the ABA and the ABA Foundation celebrate American Housing Month. Join the ABA Foundation’s June 18 webinar to kick off our new campaign, Unlocking Homeownership: Empowering Communities through Housing Education.

Our flagship year-round campaign, Unlocking Homeownership, is a testament to our belief in the transformative power of housing education. It is a critical tool to expand homeownership and wealth generation and to assist distressed homeowners in avoiding foreclosure. This campaign offers a range of tools to mobilize and equip banks to enhance homeownership education, foster stronger community partnerships, and provide training on assisting low-to-moderate community members in purchasing and retaining homes. The campaign materials will be available in mid-June.

Affordable Housing Resources

The following resources provide information to help banks support affordable housing efforts in their communities.

• Become an FHA Approved Lender 
• Connect with a NeighborWorks Housing Partner 
• FDIC Mortgage Lending Center 
• Local Housing Solutions Resource Center 
• National Council of State Housing Agencies
• Veterans Affairs Home Loans

Affordable Housing Articles

The links below contain articles authored by the ABA Foundation that underscore Americans' multifaceted challenges in finding and living in affordable homes.

• A Personal Story: The Need for Homeownership Education
• Housing Affordability: In the Pursuit of Equity
• A Hand Up with a Down Payment  
• Time to Focus on Senior Housing  
• A ‘Housing First’ Approach to Homelessness  
• Community Development as a Healthcare Strategy  
• Making Sustainable Homeownership More Achievable

Past Webinars

• Addressing Racial Wealth Gaps Through MDI/CDFI Bank Investment — Explore opportunities to partner with Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). These groups have a long history of providing economic investment and resources to financially underserved communities. The webinar will showcase real examples of how investing in these partnerships can spur greater economic mobility in underserved communities. 
• Banks, Seniors and Housing: The Challenge and the Opportunity – Listen to a virtual presentation, featuring the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University and Northrim Bank on the senior housing crisis and the ways banks can be a part of the solution. 

Banks in Their Communities

Search Banks in Their Communities database to see how banks nationwide connect with their communities to support affordable housing and develop other corporate social responsibility programs. Each year, the ABA Foundation recognizes and promotes the ways in which banks contribute to economic growth, community development and enhanced quality of life in their communities through the Community Commitment Awards.

Community Development Tours

During ABA’s annual convention, through support from the Federal Home Loan Banks, the ABA Foundation hosts Community Development Tours with bankers, highlighting bank-community collaborations that focus on improving affordable housing and investing in neighborhoods throughout cities across America.