DASH Act

Key Points

• The bill creates a new rental voucher program for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, funding 250,000 vouchers in fiscal year 2026 and 400,000 each year after. Vouchers cover rent plus deposits, moving costs, and up to 3 months' rent for other barriers, with families and youth prioritized first.
• First-time homebuyers could receive a refundable tax credit of up to $15,000, equal to 20 percent of the purchase price. The credit can be transferred to a lender to lower the down payment at closing, and it phases out at higher incomes.
• The plan invests billions into building affordable housing, including $10 billion a year for a decade into the Housing Trust Fund, a modular construction pilot, and $4 billion a year in grants to cities that reform zoning to allow duplexes, ADUs, and denser housing near transit.
• The bill creates several new tax credits to spur housing supply, including a Middle-Income Housing Tax Credit, a Neighborhood Homes Credit to revitalize distressed communities, and a Renters Credit that cuts rent to 30 percent of income for eligible low-income tenants.
• States must meet benchmarks for reducing homelessness or face cuts to federal highway funding of 5 percent, then a further 5 percent. States with unemployment at or above 6 percent are temporarily shielded from penalties.
• Voucher eligibility cannot be denied for criminal history (except lifetime sex offender registration) or conditioned on sobriety or program participation, using a low-barrier approach to reach the hardest-to-house populations.