Issue Position: Affordable Housing

Issue Position

I WILL PROMOTE HIGHER DENSITY HOUSING

Higher density housing has many benefits. For example, it enables wise land-use management, which preserves farmlands and natural lands, thus protecting the viability of our watershed. In addition, a denser population close to retail areas reduces reliance on automobiles and makes public transit more efficient. The State's Smart Growth Zoning and Housing Production law provides incentives for municipalities to make creative use of existing building stock for the purpose of increasing the availability of low and moderately priced housing. I will work with a range of stakeholders to ensure that we are creating new opportunities for housing in smart, efficient ways.

WE MUST KEEP RENTS AFFORDABLE

As a local economy grows, the region becomes more desirable; in turn, real estate prices rise and rents increase. We need to implement a system of rent control so that the people who work in the community can continue to live there and feel that they have a stake in the future. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) provides incentives to developers to invest in low-cost housing. The state has a say in how those incentives are distributed, and I will join with the other representatives in this region to make sure we get our fair share.

I WILL CHAMPION ADEQUATE SHELTER FOR THE HOMELESS

Homeless people are the victims of an uncaring economy in which speculative real estate investment makes it hard to afford housing, even for working people. We need to stop stigmatizing homelessness and provide adequate and safe places for people to stay. At the same time, we need to provide services that will help lift people out of the circumstances that have caused them to be homeless, whether it is lack of education or skills training, or health problems, including drug dependency disorder. I will take special care to ensure that shelters are stocked with sanitary products for women. In that regard, I will also work to exempt women's sanitary products from the sales tax.

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