Op-Ed: Affordable housing crisis demands urgent, sustained action

Originally published in The Hill on November 25, 2019 

By Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Diane Yentel

Every year, Americans gather with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. Before settling in for a big meal and time with loved ones, many also dedicate time to volunteering at soup kitchens and shelters.

Unfortunately, for too many Americans reliance on shelters and soup kitchens isn’t confined to the holiday season—it is their everyday reality. While taking time to volunteer to help the less fortunate is valuable community service, there is much more that we should be doing as a nation to reduce the need for soup kitchens and shelters in the first place.