As she attends presidential town halls throughout Iowa, Lauren Johnson from the Polk County Housing Trust Fund finds affordable housing is top-of-mind for voters. Voters want to know where the candidates stand on solutions to the affordable housing crisis in their state – often being one of the first questions they ask. “It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before,” Ms. Johnson said. But this heightened attention on affordable housing is more than just an Iowa phenomenon – it is happening nationally.
Around the country, presidential candidates are talking about affordable housing on nationally televised town halls and on the campaign trail more than at any other time in recent memory – because voters are demanding they do. The headline of a New York Times story on April 23 says it all: “Renters Are Mad. Presidential Candidates Have Noticed.”
This national focus on affordable housing in the presidential campaigns is virtually unprecedented. NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel is quoted in the Times article jokingthat in past elections housing advocates were hard pressed to find mentions of housing affordability as an issue: “We’ve watched debates and town halls and said: ‘Oh, she said neighborhood! They’re talking about our issue.’ Or ‘she said house!’ — just trying to find a way to feel hopeful.”
But today voters are speaking up. Lauren Johnson describes what’s happening in Iowa:
“What we are seeing in central Iowa is that housing affordability has been one of the first questions asked of candidates at public events—and that the questions are being asked by attendees. These are not prepared questions from housing advocates. These are questions that are on the minds of the average caucus-goers—and they are beating us [housing advocates] to the punch. Housing affordability is on the minds of all Iowans—rural and urban—and it’s a statewide issue and it impacts all of us. At one event, a student at Drake University was worried about the ability to stay and work in Des Moines on a starting salary—and affordable housing was her primary concern. They want to know what the candidates will do at the federal level to help us all at the state level to make housing more affordable and accessible. We’re all really looking forward to asking more about affordable housing—and to hear the candidates’ answers. As proud Iowans, we’re excited to see this momentum on affordable housing. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before.”
NLIHC encourages all affordable housing advocates to get involved in non-partisan voter and candidate engagement through the NLIHC Our Homes, Our Votes initiative because affordable homes are built with ballots every bit as much as they are built with bricks and drywall.