06/17/2026
MTW Collaborative statement on the MTW provisions included in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
Yesterday, members of the House and Senate reached a point of compromise on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and released the draft bill text that may soon be signed into law.
While we acknowledge both the urgent need for the comprehensive housing solutions envisioned by the Act and the tremendous effort that went into developing this bipartisan, bicameral legislation, we maintain our steadfast opposition to the MTW provisions included in the bill for two reasons.
First, the bill includes unworkable and overly burdensome reporting requirements for all existing MTW agencies, including requirements for reporting on data not currently trackable or maintained by any public housing agency (PHA). If passed as currently drafted, some MTW agencies would be required to generate almost 30-year-old data that was not available at the time, was never collected and cannot be recreated.
In addition to the many local and national studies of MTW outcomes, MTW agencies continue working closely with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to generate outcome-based data that demonstrates what we already know from almost 30 years of experience: local flexibility creates impact and opportunity for residents in assisted housing.
Second, in sharp contrast to this time tested MTW model, the minor expansion of the MTW program in the bill includes limits on the solutions PHAs can pursue to address local community needs, making many of MTW’s most powerful tools inaccessible to the new MTW agencies.
At a time when we should be freeing up community-driven problem solving, this bill moves us in the wrong direction by creating a constrained and uninspired version of MTW that’s unlikely to garner interest or deliver on the promise of MTW.
For these reasons, we will continue to advocate for the removal of the MTW provisions currently included in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing.
Scott, Warren, Hill, Waters Release Updated Bill Text on Senate Consideration of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
