Mercy Housing is one of the biggest names in affordable housing. It has built or fixed up over 25,000 homes across more than 340 properties in the U.S. It serves families, seniors, and people with special needs who cannot afford regular market rent.
But Mercy Housing is not the only group doing this work. Across the country, dozens of nonprofits build, manage, repair, or fund affordable homes. Some own and rent out apartments directly. Others raise money and hand it off to smaller local groups. Knowing the difference can help you find the right group to apply to, or the right organization to support.
If you are looking for housing help, or you just want to know who else is out there, here are seven nonprofits worth knowing about.
1. Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is one of the most well-known housing nonprofits in the world. Instead of renting apartments, Habitat helps families build and buy their own homes. Families often help build the house themselves, alongside volunteers. This "sweat equity" model lowers the cost of the home and gives the new homeowner a real stake in the process from day one.
In fiscal year 2025 alone, Habitat for Humanity helped more than 3 million people build or improve a place to live, both in the U.S. and around the world. The organization has also pushed for local and state policy changes that make it easier to build affordable homes, unlocking billions of dollars in public funding along the way.
If you want a path to owning a home, not just renting one, Habitat is worth a look. Most communities have a local Habitat chapter, called an "affiliate," that runs its own building projects and application process. Homes are usually sold with an affordable mortgage, so buyers pay what they can manage instead of a market-rate loan.
2. National Church Residences
If you or a family member is a senior looking for affordable housing, National Church Residences is a name to know. Based in Columbus, Ohio, it is the largest nonprofit provider of affordable senior housing in the country. It manages more than 350 communities across 25 states, serving tens of thousands of older adults.
What makes this group stand out is how it pairs housing with health care. Many of its buildings now offer on-site medical visits and support services for seniors, so residents do not have to leave home to see a doctor. This has become a bigger focus in recent years, as the organization has worked to bring primary care directly into its communities.
The group also runs housing for adults with disabilities and formerly homeless individuals through a "Housing First" approach, which means people get a stable home first, and support services follow after. This approach is widely used across the housing field because it tends to keep people housed longer than requiring them to meet conditions before they can move in.
3. Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America has been around since 1896, and today it is one of the largest nonprofit affordable housing providers in the country. Its housing network includes more than 500 properties in 42 states and Puerto Rico, with over 20,000 affordable units in total.
Volunteers of America serves a wide range of people, including families, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. It is also one of the largest nonprofit providers of housing and skilled nursing care for older adults in the country. Many of its properties combine housing with support services like job help, health care connections, and counseling for people rebuilding their lives after homelessness or hardship.
Because the organization is broken into many regional affiliates, the exact services and property types can look different depending on where you live. It's worth checking your local VOA chapter's website to see what housing options are open near you.
4. Enterprise Community Partners
Enterprise Community Partners works a little differently than the other groups on this list. Instead of only building housing itself, it also raises and lends money to other nonprofits and developers so they can build affordable homes. Since 1982, Enterprise has invested $92 billion and helped create 1.1 million homes across all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Enterprise also pushes for better housing laws at the local, state, and federal level, and it recently helped support a major new federal housing law aimed at increasing the country's housing supply. The group runs programs that train small landlords, fund green and energy-efficient housing upgrades, and help cities figure out how to use vacant land for new homes.
If you ever wonder who is working behind the scenes to make affordable housing possible, groups like this one are a big part of the answer. They rarely interact directly with renters, but their funding often makes local housing projects possible in the first place.
5. NeighborWorks America
NeighborWorks America is different from the other nonprofits here because Congress created it. It was chartered by Congress in 1978, which means it works closely with the federal government and receives public funding every year. NeighborWorks America does not build homes on its own. Instead, it supports a network of nearly 250 local nonprofits in every U.S. state, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Native lands.
In one recent year, this network delivered $11.64 billion in community investment, created over 17,000 new homeowners, and provided more than 216,000 rental homes. It also repaired nearly 67,000 homes and offered housing counseling to over 100,000 people, helping them understand their options and avoid scams.
If you want to find a trusted local housing nonprofit near you, the NeighborWorks network is a good place to start, since every member group has met strict standards to join and stays accountable to NeighborWorks for its performance.
6. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
LISC is one of the largest community development financial institutions in the country. Like Enterprise Community Partners, LISC mostly works by giving loans, grants, and other financial support to local nonprofits and developers. This helps smaller organizations get projects off the ground that they could not afford on their own, especially in neighborhoods that banks often overlook.
LISC has set a goal of investing over $5 billion to help create or preserve up to 57,000 homes by the end of 2027. LISC also trains housing professionals through programs like its Affordable Housing Development Training Institute, and it helps preserve older affordable housing that might otherwise be lost to rising costs, aging buildings, or disrepair.
Beyond housing, LISC also invests in child care, small businesses, and public safety programs in the same neighborhoods where it funds housing. The idea is that a stable home works best alongside a stable community around it.
7. The NHP Foundation
The NHP Foundation, also known as NHPF, is a national nonprofit based in Washington D.C. It focuses on both building new affordable housing and preserving older buildings so they stay affordable instead of converting to market-rate rent. NHPF currently owns and operates 62 properties across 16 states and Washington D.C., serving more than 25,000 residents.
NHPF also runs a program called Operation Pathways, which offers coaching and support to residents facing financial hardship, including help with budgeting, job searching, and connecting to local resources. This kind of support can make a real difference for families trying to get back on stable ground after a setback.
The organization has also focused on "middle income" housing in recent years, meaning homes priced for people who earn too much to qualify for the deepest subsidies but still cannot afford typical market rent in their area.
How These Nonprofits Fit Into the Bigger Picture
None of these nonprofits work alone. Most of them rely on federal programs, like the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, and support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to fund their work. You can learn more about how these programs work on HUD's affordable housing page. Many nonprofits also team up with each other on large projects, since housing developments are expensive and complicated to finance from a single source.
If you are searching for affordable housing, it helps to look beyond just one organization. Check with your local housing authority, look through HUD's public housing listings, and reach out to nonprofits like the ones above that operate in your area. Each one has its own application process, income limits, and waiting list, so applying to more than one at a time can improve your chances of finding a home sooner.
Looking for a Home Right Now?
If you are actively searching for a place to live, our partner site, Section8Search.org, can help you find current affordable housing and Section 8 listings near you.
