Recently announced presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) gave an address to nearly 500 NLIHC Housing Policy Forum attendees during a reception on Wednesday, March 27. “I believe the right to housing should be a fundamental right, a human right, a civil right,” she said to enthusiastic applause. Senator Harris highlighted her work on the California Homeowner Bill of Rights during her tenure as the California attorney general. She cited how too many Americans are a $400 expense from “complete upheaval” and that millions of Americans fall victim to predatory payday loans to pay for their housing. Senator Harris talked about the “Rent Relief Act” she introduced in the Senate in 2018 and will reintroduce this week, which aims to reduce rent burdens on low-income renters by creating a refundable tax credit for those paying more than 30% of their incomes on their rent and utilities - so they can afford other basic needs like food, healthcare, education, and child care. Senator Harris closed her address by thanking the forum attendees for their affordable housing advocacy: “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA)