The cost of housing across the United States continues to soar, displacing many and leaving others homeless. The Bay Area is one of the most difficult places to find housing within reach for low- and even middle-income households. Addressing affordability challenges and the production of new housing is one of my major priorities in Congress.
I believe the federal government has a major role to play in combating the ongoing housing crisis. I support strengthening the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and cosponsored the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act. The first bill I introduced in Congress was the Weatherization Resilience and Adaptation Program (WRAP) Act, which would provide financial assistance to low-income homeowners and affordable housing providers to adapt their property to be more resilient to disasters and extreme weather. Many households in California’s 15th Congressional District are renters, and I am a proud member of the Congressional Renters Caucus, which supports policy solutions to help tenants stay in their homes.
I am also a strong advocate for preventing and addressing homelessness. While California and the Bay Area have struggled with homelessness for many decades, homelessness really is a national crisis that demands national solutions. I co-led the Prevent Homelessness Act, which would provide assistance with rent, utilities, legal expenses, and other short-term payments to help individuals avoid homelessness. I also co-led the Eviction Protection Act to establish the Office of Eviction Prevention, a new office within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. I am a cosponsor of the Hotels to Housing Conversion Act, which would provide funding to state and local housing authorities to assist in converting unused hotels, motels, and residential properties into emergency shelters and transitional housing.