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Obama addresses housing in State of the Union Address
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uring his State of the Union address to the nation on Jan. 24, President Obama focused part of his speech on housing issues, offering a proposal to help families stay in their homes and stem the tide of foreclosures.
“President Obama’s refinancing plan offers an opportunity for continued exploration of ways to aid struggling home owners and tackle the foreclosure crisis,” said NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen. “We look forward to working with the White House and Congress to tackle this issue and continue to make progress on foreclosures that are hampering the housing market,” he said. Nielsen also reminded the media and public office seekers of the critical importance that Americans continue to place on the dream of homeownership, and called on policymakers to reopen the lines of credit for builders and buyers alike in order to create jobs and further stabilize housing and the economy. “In this election year, voters will be looking closely at President Obama, the GOP presidential contenders and congressional candidates from both political parties to determine how they plan to put housing and the economy back on track,” said Nielsen. “How the candidates respond will decide not only their political fate but the economic prospects of most Americans,” he said. Coverage of the President’s speech by The Hill included a story on his proposal to help ease foreclosures and discussed NAHB’s positions on housing extensively.
“The group's main priority is on the lending front — home builders are urging Congress and federal regulators to figure out a way to get credit moving again for builders so they can start projects in markets where new housing stock is needed, and for home owners,” the article said. In an article focusing on the President’s refinancing proposals in his State of the Union address and how the industry is looking for the White House to do more for housing, the Philadelphia Inquirer cited NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen. “National Association of Home Builders Chairman Bob Nielsen applauded Obama’s statement that ‘there has never been a better time to build,’ but he added that wouldn’t be possible without easing credit for the group’s members and buyers,” the story said. A Response From the Home Builders Institute John Courson, president and CEO of the Home Builders Institute (HBI), also commented on the State of the Union r e m a r k s , commending the President’s call to support “a national commitment to train 2 million Americans with skills that will lead
directly to jobs.” “Investing in job skills training to boost employment and spur economic growth is critical for meeting the demand for a qualified workforce in the residential construction sector,” said Courson. “Skills training and job placement are key pillars of the HBI mission,” he added. Courson noted that a need for skilled workers is beginning to re-emerge with the slow return of the housing industry from the economic downturn. He cited NAHB projections that housing starts would increase by 17% this year. Courson also cited a report from the ManpowerGroup that 52% of employers are having difficulty filling job openings, and that the top category of hard-to-fill jobs is skilled trades. Courson said that HBI agreed with the President’s assessment that many companies that want to hire cannot find workers with the right skills. HBI, he added, “has the workforce development programs in place so that we can, as the President noted, ‘turn our unemployment systems into a reemployment system that puts people to work.’ The residential construction sector is poised and ready to help our nation build a strong economy.” “We look forward to working with the President, Congress and others to ensure