Workforce Housing Advocacy launches ‘Demand More Supply’ campaign

The Utah Workforce Housing Advocacy (UWHA), an organization that focuses on increasing affordable housing options for first-time homebuyers and middle-income earners, has launched a campaign to raise public awareness of the state’s low housing supply, a major contributor to the current high cost of housing. The campaign launched with the debut of two 30-second public service announcement currently running on local media.

The videos, which are part of UWHA’s “Demand More Supply” campaign, were shared by Gov. Spencer Cox with community and political leaders across western states as part of the first workshop for the BRAND West Initiative, an initiative being promoted by the Western Governors’ Association to examine ways to build more homes by expanding housing options, encouraging innovative funding mechanisms, leveraging infrastructure investments, increasing regional coordination and planning livable communities.

“To ensure that the American Dream stays alive and well in Utah, we must add housing supply to the market. That’s why our campaign is focused on raising awareness of the core problem of high home prices — not enough supply,” said Steve Waldrip who sits on the executive board of UWHA in addition to his role as senior advisor of housing strategy for Cox.

In its first two weeks, the campaign drove more than 4,000 website visits and 200 responses to the statewide survey included in the campaign.

The campaign is built on in-depth research conducted with the support of Envision Utah. The key finding of the study is that while Utahns understand that we have a housing problem, they undervalue the housing shortage and the role that building homes plays in reducing housing costs. The same misunderstanding exists in other states, UWHA said.

“Demand More Supply” urges policymakers, community leaders and residents to collaborate to adopt solutions that create more housing opportunities for middle-income families. This effort aims to ensure economic stability, quality of life and continued growth for the region by increasing supply, streamlining regulations and fostering innovation, the organization said.

The launch of this initiative represents a significant milestone in addressing housing challenges in the West and sets a precedent for regional cooperation to solve complex economic and societal issues, said UWHA