When it comes to presidential campaigns these days, it takes a lot to surprise me. This year, however, there was one thing that completely caught me off guard. Candidates were talking about increasing the supply of affordable housing.

This recognition that we must take a supply side approach to addressing our affordable housing crisis is refreshing to hear and long overdue. In 2025, as everyone works to transform the poetry of campaign promises into the prose of a public policy solutions, I am more optimistic than ever that we can find more ways to increase supply and make housing more affordable.

Unfortunately, affordable housing is complicated and the road to success will be littered with rabbit holes and landmines that require compromise and pragmatism. As we enter these policy debates, I hope we can all agree to take a "both and" approach to affordable housing. We can support increasing federal funding to build more housing for renters at the lowest end of the income spectrum, and we can support efforts to streamline or eliminate regulations that impede the flow of private capital in the affordable housing sector. They are not mutually exclusive. This problem is too big for one ideology to solve on its own.

The Multifamily Impact Council is not an advocacy organization, but we do believe that policy solutions must be rooted in the principles that form our Impact Framework. After all, our industry doesn't develop and manage building; it creates homes. With that comes an awesome responsibility to ensure the people who live in our homes are healthy, financially stable, and able to participate equitably in the always wonderful, often chaotic, and sometimes frustrating experience that is America.

Two organizations I trust and support in their housing affordability efforts are Up for Growth and Up for Growth Action. Mike Kingsella, the founder and CEO of both organizations and the subject of this month's Q&A, has been an advocate for affordable housing for over two decades.

Mike understands that affordable housing is nuanced and relies on establishing strong working partnerships with affordable housing advocates, the private sector, and all levels of government. I hope you enjoy his comments and help him and his peers get things done in the year ahead.

Bob Simpson

President and CEO

Mike Kingsella, CEO, Up for Growth and Up for Growth Action

Mike Kingsella is the founder and chief executive officer of Up for Growth, an organization that aims to offer its members a new kind of agency in solving the housing shortage, and Up for Growth Action, the only U.S. organization singularly focused on leading federal legislation to eliminate barriers and increase resources for housing production. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Community Development and Real Estate Development from the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, and has worked in housing since 2003.

What do Up for Growth and Up for Growth Action do?

Up for Growth builds and supports a broad coalition of housing affordability stakeholders who act together despite their differences, develop and support policy solutions grounded in development economics, and  work to reverse and remediate the destructive effects of past exclusionary practices in housing development. The organization also provides meaningful opportunities for cross-sector relationship building and collaborative decision-making to ensure all stakeholders are aligned on how they can build, preserve, finance, and maintain more homes.

Up for Growth Action has a track record of national pro-housing legislative success. In the 117th Congress, Up for Growth Action led the introduction of three signature bills resulting in the passage into law of H.R. 3680, the Promoting Affordable Housing Near Transit Act, and the passage of two bills in the House of Representatives: H.R. 2483, the Build More Housing Near Transit Act, and H.R. 2126, the Housing Supply Affordability Act.

What are some of the relevant issues for stakeholders when it comes to housing policy that drives impact for renters, communities, and investors?

Almost everyone agrees that we don't have enough housing supply. Every state in the country is experiencing some degree of housing underproduction. Zoning, land-use, and building code reforms are critical to solving the problem. Today's zoning laws restrict the construction of higher-density housing, reducing the potential housing stock and exacerbating affordability challenges.

The market’s ability to meet the growing demand for diverse housing options is far too constrained. Reforming zoning laws to allow for more mixed-use and higher-density developments will help unlock underutilized land, particularly in urban areas. We also need building code reform. Unnecessary regulations are driving up costs and causing lengthy delays in production. Inflexible, unnuanced building standards are making it financially prohibitive to build affordable housing, especially in lower-income or rural areas. If we succeed at modernizing zoning laws and building codes to focus on essential safety and efficiency without imposing excessive burdens, we’ll see a more predictable and favorable investment environment for multifamily investors and developers. Ultimately, rents will come down, and communities will grow more sustainably.

Did you know that 98% of water inefficiency in multifamily units is due to leaks and disrepair, not tenant behavior? We met with Orlando Valdes and Jack Howell from ION Water, a water optimization company, to tell us about their work improving water efficiency.

What is water optimization? This approach looks to combine real time data and automation with sub-metering and benchmarking to drive water reductions by up to 70%, 55 gallons per bedroom per day on average. With over 240 billion gallons wasted in affordable and multifamily housing annually, the ION Water approach offers meaningful opportunity for our planet and for operators' bottom line.

ION Water has helped reduce utility costs for Fortune 500 and mid-market companies and is now working with prominent names in affordable housing. The ION's Water Event Evaluation System not only counts gallons for billing purposes, but also evaluates every water event at a property to detect leaks and diagnose their causes. The system automates work orders for site teams to address these leaks, alerts them when they exceed certain thresholds, and provides asset management teams with performance data at a portfolio level, enabling them to identify areas for improvement and engage with site teams for further discussions. Check out their website at https://ionwater.io/ to learn more.

Amina Sam

Impact Investing Associate

Multifamily Impact Council is excited to share "Long On Impact" a weekly LinkedIn newsletter that will explore, explain and dive deeper into how multifamily impact practices can improve lives, reduce greenhouse gases, and drive stable long term financial returns for investors.

Our first series of articles will focus on each of the seven principles of the Multifamily Impact Council's Impact Framework. Click here to subscribe, read, share your feedback, and share across your network!

Company Updates

The demand for multifamily impact investing is strong, and innovative individuals and organizations like the Multifamily Impact Council are stepping up to meet this need. If you haven’t yet done so, be sure to check out MIC’s Multifamily Impact Framework™, a market-based set of standards for multifamily industry impact principles and reporting guidelines. The framework is invaluable and available to download and adopt free of charge.

Mark your calendars for the next Multifamily Impact Collaborative Call on October 24th at 1pm CST. We will be focusing on successful local solutions to create affordable housing supply and will be announcing our speaker lineup soon!

If you missed our last Impact Collaborative Call, a recording is now available. To download it, please complete the form at https://multifamilyimpactcouncil.org/multifamily-impact-collaborative-call/

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