Issue Position: Affordable Housing

Issue Position

Jerry is a firm believer that quality housing is a right and not a privilege. He has advocated vigorously for affordable housing preservation and expansion each year locally and in Congress. The day-to-day work of his district includes fighting for tenants and working to keep housing affordable and safe for everyone.

New York's housing market forces and the economic recession have generated intense pressure on both middle and low-income New Yorkers, and those who are most vulnerable -- seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, the very poor, those living with HIV/AIDS -- are in danger of slipping through the cracks. Understanding these dynamics, Jerry is committed to providing and maintaining affordable housing for all. Each year in Congress, he has led the fight to increase funding for the major housing assistance programs that affect urban areas in particular, like Section 8 and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS, and has successfully augmented allocations for both programs by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Since his days in the New York State Assembly, Jerry has also been considered one of New York's key leaders in the fight for tenants' rights and housing affordability. Jerry is the lead sponsor of the Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) Act, a bill that would amend the Fair Housing Act to extend housing protections to individuals regardless of gender, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or source of income. For years, he has worked hand-in-hand with tenants and stakeholders to maintain affordability in numerous Mitchell-Lama buildings and other developments, including Independence Plaza North in Manhattan and Ocean Gate and Ocean Towers in Brooklyn.

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