Affordable Housing
The median home price in Massachusetts has topped $800K for the first time ever. Rising housing costs are outpacing inflation, making it more difficult than ever for Americans to find quality affordable housing.
"We cannot be content, no matter how high the general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people are ill-housed and insecure... Every family has the right to a decent home."
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt
The issue
Moody’s Analytics reports that the US is facing “a daunting housing supply shortage.” There is "not enough housing for sale or rent in communities across the country – families must pay more for their housing, renters have less to get by on, and homeownership is out of reach for too many." Home prices have skyrocketed while growth in workers' wages hasn't kept up. Low-income households are being taken advantage of by landlords, while 600,000 Americans are homeless today. In our modern, wealthy society we have the ability to ensure all Americans are well-housed. It's time we do just that.
Read the detailed policy fact sheet:
How we fix it:
🏘️ Build more housing to keep up with demand
Fund affordable housing development
While the MA population has grown 7% since 2020, the number of housing units has only grown 4.5%, aligned with the “massive housing shortage across the US” today. The American Housing and Economic Mobility Act – and other existing HUD programs – would provide funding for state and local governments "that remove unnecessary barriers to building affordable units."
Legalize more apartment units
Antiquated zoning laws and regulations needlessly get in the way of developing quality affordable housing in high-opportunity areas, especially near public transit. We can rework these laws to promote responsible development.
Invest in community land trusts
Community land trusts are when nonprofits own land for affordable housing communities. They act as stewards of the land and keep prices from rising beyond the means of low- and middle-income households.
Audit and develop unused public lands
The Bipartisan Policy Coalition “recommends local governments develop a complete list of all assets owned, including vacant land and underutilized real estate... to identify land suitable for affordable housing projects.”
💵 Make existing housing more affordable
Continue investing in federal housing programs
The Department of Housing and Urban Development offers many programs to promote affordable home ownership, from the low-income housing tax credit, to the housing voucher program, to single- and multi-family home financing initiatives. These programs produce great returns for our society, and deserve continued investment.
Stop Wall Street from buying up our homes
Hedge funds and large corporations are buying up single-family homes to convert them into rentals they can lease at crazy prices. "Traditional homebuyers and real estate investors getting squeezed out by investors with piles of cash"; we must enforce tax penalties against these predatory investors (see fact sheet for details).
Ban rent-gouging algorithms
Invest in downpayment assistance
Down payment assistance programs, including matched savings programs and tax credits for low-income first-time homebuyers, help fight “discriminatory policies that have excluded Black families from homeownership."
Invest in emergency rental assistance
The ACLU recommends that the federal government “increase awareness among localities about the Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds available for legal services and make these funding sources permanent.
Place restrictions on foreign buyers
For the past decade, “foreign investors flush with cash have been purchasing properties in Boston and its suburbs in increasing numbers, crowding out local bidders.” We need minimum residency requirements to ensure the
New ‘rental pricing algorithms’ help property managers collude to set the highest payable price in their market, causing significant price hikes, raising serious concern from legal experts. These algorithms must be banned or strictly regulated to avoid "potential violations of federal law.”
🔎 Empower renters to navigate the system
Voucher mobility programs
facilitate landlord outreach and mediation, tenant counseling and moving assistance. Research shows this helps families access higher-opportunity neighborhoods.
Enact federal Right to Counsel laws
90% of landlords have legal representation in eviction suits versus 10% of tenants. Tenants with legal representation are twice as likely to win eviction suits. Right to Counsel laws mandate that tenants have access to legal representation so they can have their rights defended.
Increase access to landlord information
Some landlords and building managers make it impossible for tenants to access them and get issues resolved. They face little accountability for failing in their duties. Landlords should be required to publicly register their information, just as tenants must pass background checks.
Seal all pending no-fault convictions
Eviction records are publicly available online for landlords to assess a potential tenant. However, many eviction records do not actually reflect tenant wrongdoing, and shouldn't be used against them.
Enact federal 'just-cause' standards
These rules protect tenants against “no fault” evictions (i.e., evicting a tenant when they’ve done nothing wrong). Research shows these standards increase housing stability and empowers renters
❌ Crack down on discriminatory housing practices
Strengthen fair housing laws
While the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability status, these practices persist subtly today. To combat them, the Fair Housing Justice Center recommends several policy initiatives (detailed here).
Combat redlining
Redlining is a discriminatory practice in which lenders withhold services from customers who reside in neighborhoods classified as "hazardous.” We must invest in the Justice Department’s Combatting Redlining Initiative, designed to enforce fair lending policies
🫶 End homelessness
Adopt a “Housing First” model:
Housing First programs fund and provide housing and support for homeless individuals, rooted in the belief that "people need basic necessities like food and a place to live before [they can] attend to anything less critical." We need to invest in both permanent supportive housing for those with chronic conditions and rapid re-housing efforts.
Enact a Bill of Rights for homeless individuals
Homeless individuals face unique challenges in navigating society, and their needs deserve special consideration. Bills like MA's S.142 would establish a Bill of Rights for the homeless, defending their voting rights, their right to affordable and quality healthcare, and more.
Provide foreclosure prevention assistance