Housing shortages are on the minds of mayors across the United States. More than 200 mayors attended the annual winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington D.C. last weekend. They are demanding action from the federal government to solve the nation’s housing crisis.
Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe was there and she, too, calling for national action.
“A priority of the conference and a priority of ours in Columbia is housing,” she said. “Housing is connected to so many of the issues that we’re facing both with people being able to have workforce housing — so my teachers and police officers can afford to live in our city — but also important too when we’re talking about homelessness.”
She said a lack of affordable housing is a threat to the community.
“A lot of times what we’re seeing is that people that used to be in housing but can no longer afford their rent or their mortgages,” said Buffaloe. “This is something that’s going on across the country. So, for me, it was important to be advocating for that support from our federal government, but also look at what are the innovative ideas that my peers in other cities are doing.”
One solution being considered is getting more money for existing programs such as the low-income housing credit and Community Development Block Grants. Buffaloe said that other mayors can learn from Missouri and from her city.
“So, I’m able to talk to other mayors who maybe are struggling going into the next (presidential) administration because they live in a very blue state – blue city, blue state,” she said. “I’m able (to) talk about the fact that even though Columbia is a pretty progressive city, it’s (in) a conservative state, but we’re also just common-sense people.”
A survey conducted at the conference found that housing shortfalls are expected to grow by more than two million units over the next five years. The winter meeting concluded on Sunday.
© 2025, Missourinet.