Today, the Georgia Chamber Foundation released its 2026 Keys to Housing: A Community Resource Guide, a new resource designed to help local leaders across Georgia better understand housing challenges and develop community-specific strategies to increase housing options.

The guide comes as housing affordability and availability continue to impact communities across the state. Georgia’s homeownership rate has declined from a peak of 72% in 2002 to approximately 64% today, while businesses consistently report that the lack of attainable housing is affecting their ability to recruit, develop, and retain talent.

Daniela Perry, Executive Director, Georgia Chamber Foundation, said:

“Housing continues to be a top issue impacting Georgians and Georgia employers. Increasing the state’s housing stock is vital to help more families own their homes, build wealth, and invest in their communities. The solutions outlined in this guide and developed with our partners, provide proven strategies for communities to implement.”

Developed by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Georgia Chamber Foundation in partnership with members of the Housing Access and Affordability Task Force, the guide translates the work of housing stakeholders into a practical roadmap for communities. The Task Force brought together the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, Georgia Association of REALTORS®, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Municipal Association, and Home Builders Association of Georgia.

The Keys to Housing guide outlines a step-by-step approach communities can use to develop a local housing strategy, including:

• Building a steering committee of leaders representing government, business, housing, education, healthcare, financial institutions, nonprofits and community members.

• Setting a shared vision and goals based on local housing data, population and job growth projections, housing inventory, home prices and rental affordability.

• Convening stakeholders to identify challenges, address communication gaps and establish actionable next steps.

• Exploring funding and policy tools, including state and federal resources, private and philanthropic funding, housing bonds and other mechanisms.

The Keys to Housing: A Community Resource Guide is available through the Georgia Chamber Foundation. To learn more and access the guide, visit gachamber.com/data-hub/.