Advocacy Resources

Creating and maintaining an effective advocacy program at your HBA is a critical part of your organization’s ability to serve as an influential voice for the housing industry in your community. These NAHB resources can help you get started.

Local Advocacy Guides

• Guide to Building a Successful Local Advocacy Program: Provides guidance and the steps your association should take to establish itself as a leader in your community. Learn more.
• Guide to Running for Local Office: Provides the knowledge and tactics to help NAHB members become winning candidates for office and sought-after volunteers.

Land Use and Zoning Materials

• Land Use 101: This section on nahb.org provides resources to address challenges in local land development processes with the Land Use 101 Toolkit.
• Impact Fee Handbook: The handbook provides home builders a resource for exploring issues related to impact fees and strategies for achieving balanced infrastructure financing solutions.
• Structural Inequities in Land Use and Housing: The NAHB Land Development Committee and the Structural Inequities Working Group support a development environment that promotes all types of housing available to all people at all income levels.
• Inclusionary Zoning Primer: The primer is an economic research study about inclusionary zoning and case studies from different housing markets.
• San Diego study of Inclusionary Zoning: A research study funded by SLIF.

Housing Affordability

• How Did They Do It? Discovering New Opportunities for Affordable Housing: This report features a dozen detailed case studies from across the country that showcase how communities can increase housing affordability.
• Rethinking Affordability in Chicago: Two page summary about Chicago's Affordable Housing Requirements (ARO). The HBA of Greater Chicago also commissioned a white paper about ARO funded by NAHB’s State and Local Issues Fund. 

State and Local Issues Fund

The State and Local Issues Fund provides financial assistance to HBAs involved in advocacy efforts on issues affecting the affordability of homeownership. The following examples show how this funding is making a difference:

• SLIF funds approved during NAHB’s 2023 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas.
• SLIF funds approved during NAHB’s 2022 Spring Leadership Meeting in Washington, D.C.
• SLIF fund approved during NAHB’s Winter Leadership meeting.
• SLIF funds approved during the association’s 2021 Fall Leadership Meetings in Houston.