# Build Housing with Care Act of 2023: What It Actually Does

This bill creates a new federal grant program designed to tackle two major problems at once: the shortage of affordable housing and the shortage of affordable child care. The core idea is simple but ambitious—it funds projects that combine housing and child care in the same location, so families can live in affordable apartments or homes while having access to quality child care right there or nearby.

Here's how it works in practice. Organizations like nonprofits, housing developers, community groups, and even child care providers themselves can apply for grants of up to $10 million to build, renovate, or convert buildings into what the bill calls "co-location facilities." These are housing buildings that either have child care services inside them or have child care available very close by. The money can pay for designing the building, planning the project, constructing it from scratch, or fixing up existing buildings. The bill sets aside $100 million per year for six years to fund these projects, meaning roughly $600 million total if fully funded.

The bill prioritizes funding for projects that serve the families who need help most—those in areas where child care is scarce (called "child care deserts"), low-income neighborhoods, rural areas, and projects that specifically serve very poor families or children learning English as a second language. It also gives preference to projects partnering with community development financial institutions, which are specialized lenders focused on helping underserved communities. To protect current residents, the bill requires that projects cannot evict people from existing housing to make room for the new facilities.

The practical impact would be significant for working families. Imagine a single parent earning $35,000 a year who spends $15,000 annually on child care—that's nearly half their income. If they could live in an affordable housing building with on-site or nearby child care, they'd save money on both fronts and have the convenience of picking up their child without a long commute. The bill also requires that child care providers receiving funding must be eligible for government child care assistance programs, ensuring the services remain affordable. Additionally, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to study how housing and child care costs affect people living in public housing, which could lead to future improvements in how these programs work together.

Build Housing with Care Act of 2023

Bonamici, Suzanne

Build Housing with Care Act of 2023This bill establishes a competitive grant program to support co-located childcare and housing facilities. It also requires the Government Accountability Office to study the availability and affordability of childcare for residents of public housing.Specifically, the Department of Housing and Urban Development must award the grants to eligible entities, which include community development financial institutions, public housing authorities, licensed childcare providers, government entities, housing developers, and consortia of such entities. Entities must use the grants for designing, planning, constructing, acquiring, renovating, or otherwise supporting new or existing housing facilities with &nbsp;childcare providers&nbsp;on the same premises or nearby.