POSITIVE Housing & Affordability 118th Congress

H.R.4231 Downpayment Toward Equity Act of 2023

Provides $25,000 in downpayment assistance for first-generation homebuyers to close the racial homeownership gap (118th Congress)

View on Congress.gov

Legal & Constitutional Grounding

Census data shows 30.9-point white-Black homeownership gap (75.1% vs 44.2%); Fair Housing Act mandates equity.

U.S. Census Bureau via FRED: White non-Hispanic homeownership 75.1% vs. Black homeownership 44.2% (Q4 2025)

42 U.S.C. § 3601 — Fair Housing Act: U.S. policy to provide fair housing throughout the United States
42 U.S.C. § 3604 — Fair Housing Act prohibition on housing discrimination by race

Provides $25,000 downpayment assistance for first-generation homebuyers. The racial homeownership gap (74% white vs. 44% Black, Census) reflects documented historical lending discrimination that downpayment barriers perpetuate.