The Affordability and Fairness for Mountain Communities Act of 2025 creates a new waiver program that allows county governments in mountainous areas to calculate income eligibility limits for federal housing assistance programs using smaller geographic areas—either individual ZIP Codes or groups of bordering counties—rather than the current broader regional standards. This localized approach is intended to better reflect actual cost-of-living variations in mountain communities and make housing assistance more accessible to low-income residents in areas where housing costs are particularly high relative to area incomes. The bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish the waiver program within 90 days and to complete a comprehensive study within two years examining alternative income calculation methods and their effects on housing affordability for mountain communities, particularly seasonal workers. The waiver program applies to eleven major federal housing programs, including public housing, rental assistance, supportive housing for elderly and disabled residents, and rural housing assistance.
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