OMAHA- State Sen. Terrell McKinney hosted a Monday Urban Affairs Committee hearing in an attempt to lay out the first steps to address "affordable housing" in the next legislative session, first by learning how constituents define the term. LR138, the study conducted, explored the "revolving definition" of affordable housing during a three-hour period where over three dozen developers and community leaders had the chance to testify.

McKinney himself described affordable housing as a cost-effective way to reduce intergenerational poverty, increase economic mobility, and foster local development. "In Nebraska, we need to ensure that we're making strides to true affordable housing tailored to our state's unique needs," he said, "We have to find creative solutions to solve this problem."

Buey Ray Tut, CEO of Omaha nonprofit Spark and one of the testifiers, said one of the biggest issues is the fact that thousands of Nebraska households are "cost-burdened," or paying more than 30% of their gross income in monthly housing payments and utilities. 21,000 households in Lincoln and 55,000 in Omaha are considered "cost-burdened," according to Tut. Lynn Rex, executive director of the League of Nebraska Municipalities, said the Legislature should begin offering tuition waivers for jobs such as electrical work and plumbing to ensure that there is a strong workforce willing to build affordable homes.

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