Early summer marks the peak season for the state’s housing market as families frequently move and settle into new school districts before the first bell rings. However, skyrocketing housing costs are severely limiting those options — making stability harder to reach for families preparing for the school year as well as residents at every stage of life.

Fortunately, a historic milestone offers hope on this front. On July 11, the federal 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law. Passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, it represents the first comprehensive federal housing package in decades. As highlighted by the National League of Cities, this legislation aims to solve the nation’s housing challenges by reforming regulatory procedures, increasing private capital and modernizing grant programs — all while preserving local control.

While this legislation strengthens the framework and opens the door for action, transforming policy into affordable housing for North Carolina families is up to us. As a nonpartisan convener, that is where IEI steps in to bridge that gap.

Next year on Feb. 17, we will host the 2027 Emerging Issues Forum: Future Forward Housing — the finale of our three-part series on our state’s infrastructure future. With nearly half of all renters and a quarter of homeowners currently cost-burdened by housing and a steep statewide labor shortage, the stakes couldn’t be higher. While the new federal act offers us fresh tools, it will take North Carolina ingenuity to solve our state’s challenges.

North Carolina needs a thoughtful and productive approach to this key issue. We need to hear from experts, practitioners, and state and community leaders — and that is exactly what we have been doing! This summer, our team traveled across the state to learn firsthand how urban and rural communities view their housing challenges and their ideas to address them. This fall, we will convene a multi-sector Housing Infrastructure Advisory Council to further explore those insights and identify consensus-based solutions. We are also excited to work with the 2026 Climate and Sustainability Academy (CaSA) Student Ambassadors and our newest Hunt Intern, Jada Turner, to host campus-wide fireside chats on housing this fall, followed by a student-led forum in the spring.

Investing in housing infrastructure is a talent retention and economic development imperative. For philanthropy, housing is the ultimate intersectional priority, directly impacting education, health and economic mobility. By sponsoring the 2027 forum, you are supporting more than an event; you are helping shape the public-private partnerships and statewide recommendations that will define our infrastructure for the next generation. The federal roadmap is there — now let’s build the foundation North Carolina deserves.