News of the Trump administration’s potential plans to address California’s homeless crisis in a harmful and unjust manner made headlines last week, and yet the Democratic presidential debate moderators once again missed the opportunity to ask the candidates how they would deal with the affordable housing and homelessness crisis afflicting the nation. While a number of the candidates briefly mentioned housing affordability, homelessness, and housing segregation when responding to other questions, the opportunity for a robust debate on these issues was lost.
Our country is in the grips of a severe housing and homelessness crisis that impacts millions of people each day. Voters and housing advocates alike want to hear what candidates would do to address the lack of affordable homes across the country. According to a national poll, eighty-five percent of people in America believe that ensuring everyone has a safe, accessible and affordable home should be a top national priority, and eight out of ten believe the president and Congress should take major action.
Eleven presidential candidates have issued significant affordable housing plans or proposals, and more are expected soon. Voters are demanding they address the issue on the campaign trail, and the candidates are responding as never before – in town halls, meet-and-greets and other settings. In an op-ed published in CityLab on September 13, the day after last week’s debate, NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel wrote: “If debate moderators won’t ask candidates the housing question, we will. Because affordable homes—and the political will to produce them—are built with ballots.”
Read Diane’s full op-ed at: https://tinyurl.com/y6k9a23j
See what all the candidates have said and proposed related to affordable housing and homelessness – and get involved in nonpartisan voter and candidate engagement in your own communities—at the Our Homes, Our Votes 2020 website: https://www.ourhomes-ourvotes.org/