Issue Position: Housing

Issue Position

As our nation emerges from a unique and serious economic crisis, a necessary step in stabilizing our economy is shoring up our housing markets. This means keeping qualified homeowners in their homes and reducing the number of foreclosures and houses vacant in the market.

As families continue to recover from the recession and homeowners looking for employment cease to receive emergency unemployment benefits, many individuals and families will see paychecks dwindle and housing situations become jeopardized. We should ensure homeowners have adequate protections and do not lose the home equity they have built over many years. I will work towards a balance between limiting predatory or irresponsible lending and allowing lenders to continue to make loans that are legitimately priced according to the risk of the borrowers.

It is also essential that we tackle the growing problem of housing insecurity and homelessness in the Ninth District, especially among the youth and young adult populations. Housing and community development are key to citizens' quality of life and I support empowerment zones and other incentive-based programs to encourage investment and development in communities in need. We can also keep interest rates low by reducing the federal debt and improve public housing programs to help families find affordable housing.

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