National Analysis of Housing Affordability, Adequacy, and Availability: A Framework for Local Housing Strategies

The National Affordable Housing Act (NAHA) of 1990 requires states and localities to develop a Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS), identifying a community's current and anticipated needs for affordable and supportive housing and outlining a strategy for addressing those needs.The starting point for a CHAS is a systematic analysis of the local housing market, including characteristics of households and the housing stock, estimates of housing problems--particularly among low- and moderate-income households,--and diagnosis of market imbalances underlying these problems. The housing market analysis is intended to serve as a factual basis for a community's programmatic strategy and spending priorities. It should also provide evidence to inform local decisions about which housing market problems warrant intervention, and how scarce resources should be allocated among different housing needs and activities.