Support H.R. 7676: Proposed Federal Law to Help People Afford Accessibility Renovations in their Homes

Good messages, subsidies, and incentives are critical to market development. In this episode, Lewis Tenenbaum, the CEO of Homes Renewed Coalition digs into how the organization is working to make homes more accessible for everyone and how H.R.7676 would allow people to finance modifications to their homes without paying taxes or penalties. He also explains how the process to pass legislation for people with disabilities and older adults can be improved and why financial advisors should be more involved in this area. Louis highlights the role of the coalition in changing the narrative around accessible housing and the importance to connect with influential leaders to make change happen. Let's dive in!

In the early ‘90s, Louis Tenenbaum was one of the first contractors to focus his remodeling business on aging in place. Curious why, if home modifications are such a good idea, no one does it, Louis wrote the visionary white paper, Aging in Place 2.0: Rethinking Solutions to the Home Care Challenge published by the MetLife Mature Market Institute, cementing his role as a leading authority on Aging in Place.Uniquely straddling the building, aging and policy worlds, in 2016 Louis was named a Next Avenue “Influencer in Aging” and won a HIVE (Housing, Innovation, Vision and Economics) award from the building industry.

Key Highlights:

[00:01 - 07:00] Opening Segment

• Louis introduces HomesRenewed Coalition and its purpose

• How the coalition helps to increase the number of homes that are usable available to aging people and mobility difficulties

• Louis's outlook on how the government responds to demographic trends of aging

[07:01 - 13:16] Reducing Taxes On Home Modifications

• The impact of aging place on the design and construction industry

• The law that allows people to use their retirement savings accounts to pay for modifications to their homes without tax or penalty

• How to create a market incentive for contractors to make modifications to homes accessible

[13:16 - 20:17] The Coalition to Renewed Homes

• Why there's a need for tax reform and infrastructure investment

• The importance of coalition-building in order to get the bill passed

• Louis emphasizes the importance of getting legislation through Congress and the role of the coalition in doing so

[20:18 - 26:43] Provide Funding for Home Security

• Louis's motivations for wanting to become involved in the disability community

• The challenges of growing the disability community coalition, and the importance of outreach to legislators

• How contractors can be involved in advocating for people with disabilities and encourage them to become members of the coalition

[26:434- 30:46] Closing Segment

• The goal of the Homes Renewed Coalition is to increase the number of houses that are prepared for people of modern longevity

• We need to make sure that housing is available to people in reactive situations, as well as those who want to proactively change the narrative and change how our typical building techniques work

Want to connect with Louis? Head to HomesRenewed, and support home incentive modifications!

Key Quotes:

"We can picture the past and project from the past, but we can't picture a future we don't know. " - Louis Tenenbaum 

"If your home is more accessible, it's a better place for care to be delivered." - Louis Tenenbaum 

"I'm more focused on getting the work done than I am on growing the coalition." - Louis Tenenbaum 

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Accessible Housing Matters is dedicated to raising awareness about important issues around accessibility and housing, and getting conversations going.

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