Part 3: The Path Forward Real Solutions to America’s Housing Crisis By Corey Parchman | CorePar Development

Moving From Problem to Solution

The housing crisis in the United States is one of the most significant challenges of our time, but it is also one of the greatest opportunities. After years of underbuilding, rising costs, and outdated policies, the country is beginning to understand what developers have known for a long time. We cannot support strong communities and strong economies without a strong housing supply.

The good news is that this crisis is not permanent. It can be solved with the right combination of innovation, collaboration, and commitment. The path forward requires clear thinking and bold action from developers, policymakers, lenders, and community leaders.

Build Smarter, Faster, and More Efficiently

One of the biggest challenges in housing today is that the traditional way of building cannot keep up with modern demand. Long timelines, rising insurance premiums, and labor shortages slow down projects and drive up costs. Innovation in construction is no longer optional. It is essential.

Modern methods like modular construction, panelized building systems, and structural insulated panels allow developers to build high quality homes with greater speed and consistency. These approaches reduce waste, lower energy costs for families, and create predictable timelines for investors and communities.

The goal is not to cut corners. It is to cut inefficiencies. When we streamline the construction process, we can make homes more attainable without sacrificing quality.

Open the Door to Missing Middle Housing

In many communities, zoning codes still reflect a version of America that no longer exists. Large single family lots dominate the landscape while duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and cottage courts remain restricted or impossible to build. This creates a supply imbalance that pushes families out of the middle of the market and into a cycle of rising rents.

Missing middle housing provides attainable and flexible options for working families, young adults, and seniors who do not need or cannot afford a large single family home. This is the type of housing that once anchored healthy communities across the country.

Updating zoning to allow a wider range of housing types is one of the most powerful tools cities have to address the supply shortage. When communities make room for more diversity in their housing stock, they create stability, mobility, and long term economic resilience.

Prioritize Workforce Housing

There is a growing group of people in this country who earn too much to qualify for traditional affordable housing programs but not enough to compete with rising rents and home prices. These are the teachers, medical assistants, police officers, manufacturing workers, and service industry employees who keep communities running every day.

Workforce housing serves this group. It bridges the gap between subsidized housing and market rate housing. It strengthens the local economy by allowing essential workers to live near their jobs. And it gives families the stability they need to build financial security and upward mobility.

Developers who focus on this segment can deliver both strong community impact and strong investor returns. Workforce housing is not charity. It is smart economics.

Public and Private Sectors Must Work Together

No single group can solve the housing crisis alone. Cities can modernize zoning, but private developers must be willing to build. Developers can innovate, but lenders must support new delivery models. Employers can attract talent, but local governments must ensure there are homes for that talent to live in.

Public and private collaboration is the foundation of long term housing stability. Cities can offer incentives such as tax abatements, fee reductions, and faster approval timelines. Developers can commit to high quality design, transparency, and long term stewardship. Employers can participate by supporting local housing initiatives and partnering on workforce housing near job centers.

When everyone works toward the same goal, communities grow stronger.

Shift the Narrative Around What Housing Can Be

Housing is often talked about in terms of cost, density, and regulation. What is missing from the conversation is the human side. Housing is more than a physical structure. It determines how families grow, how children learn, how communities stay connected, and how cities build opportunity for the next generation.

The narrative must shift from fear of change to understanding the value of housing diversity. Attainable housing strengthens neighborhoods. Workforce housing supports employers. Missing middle housing creates stability. Innovation in construction saves time and money.

When we elevate the conversation, we make space for better solutions.

Pull Quote

“The next generation of developers must think beyond profit. We must build purpose into every project.”

A Future Built With Purpose

The housing crisis in America is real, but it is not unsolvable. We can build our way out of this moment if we build with intention. Innovation, zoning reform, collaboration, and a focus on working families will shape the next chapter of housing in this country.

At CorePar Development, our mission is to create communities that reflect the needs of today’s families while preparing for tomorrow’s opportunities. The path forward is clear. We must build housing that is practical, sustainable, and rooted in purpose.

Housing is the foundation of strong communities. Now is the time to rebuild that foundation for generations to come.