Issue Position: Housing as a Human Right

Issue Position

Alexandria believes housing is a human right. As a result of COVID-19, millions are facing the anxiety of eviction or foreclosure, but government leaders have done little - due in part to the outsized influence of large landlords and the real estate industry. To emerge from this pandemic and lay the foundation for future housing stability, we need to refocus housing policy to protect current occupants, repair public housing, and build new affordable housing.

PROTECT CURRENT OCCUPANTS

Rent Cancellation During COVID-19

As the impact of COVID-19 ripples through our economy, keeping people in their homes is critical for a full recovery.

Right now it is imperative we enact rent cancellation and mortgage deferment, and that is why Alexandria is fighting for the passage of the Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act and was one of the first representatives to call for "rent cancellation' including speaking about it vocally on the house floor. Alexandria supports the creation of a HUD fund for small landlords, so they would be protected from financial repercussions of "rent cancellation.'

Curb Rent Increases

Rent increases have outpaced wage increases, leaving families struggling to afford groceries, healthcare, clothes, or school supplies. The Place to Prosper Act, introduced by Alexandria in 2019, curbs rent increase for landlords who own 5 or more properties to just 3% of the preceding year's rent or the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, whichever is greater. This creates clear guidance for both sides on what to expect and ensures families are not displaced because of large rent increases.

Stop Unjust Evictions

The Place to Prosper Act ensures that tenants are only evicted if they have violated an explicit lease term, caused substantial damage, or failed to pay rent in two consecutive months (COVID-19 and post-pandemic withstanding). The sole exception to these guidelines is if a landlord wants to rent the unit to an immediate relative or live in it themselves.

To protect tenants and their rights, The Place to Prosper Act guarantees tenants legal counsel during eviction proceedings, providing $6.5 billion annually for legal services. This levels the playing field against well funded landlords and prevents meritless evictions.

Holding Landlords Accountable

The Place to Prosper Act creates new public oversight of large landlords (anyone who owns more than 100 housing units in one metro area or more than 1,000 rental units nationwide or any property in at least three different states). These landlords must provide a quarterly, public disclosure of the median rent, the number of evicted tenants, and the identity of the landlord's three largest shareholders, among other details. The act also prevents landlords with a history of harassing tenants or if they own more than 100 units in the same metropolitan area from receiving federal mortgages or purchasing federal property.

Ensuring Rental Access to Lower Income Renters

The Places to Prosper Act also prohibits landlords from refusing to rent to federal assistance tenants, cracking down on discrimination against low-income renters.

Protections for Homeowners

Although most of the Place to Prosper Act focuses on rental properties, it is also important to continue to provide mortgage relief to homeowners during and after the pandemic. Alexandria supports extending tax benefits to working and middle-class homeowners so that they too can secure housing.

REPAIR PUBLIC HOUSING

COVID-19 has disproportionately affected those with underlying health conditions including respiratory conditions caused by mold from water leaks, poor ventilation, mites from dirty and old carpeting, and pest infestation. New York City's public housing buildings are notorious for containing these inhabitable physical conditions. NYCHA apartments are plagued with faulty elevators, crumbling infrastructure, and sometimes, no water, or worse, yellow water. This has to stop. We need to invest in repairing our current public housing units and envision a brighter future for public housing in the United States.

During her first year in Congress, Alexandria called for $70 billion in funding to fix our nation's crumbling public housing system. But that is not enough. Alexandria also called for an additional $10 billion specifically dedicated to remove lead from public housing. In addition to the repair funding, Alexandria also introduced the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act, which would create 32,552 jobs per year in New York City and transition the entire public housing stock of the United States into safe and habitable zero-carbon homes.

BUILD NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING

During this pandemic we see the need to ensure everyone has housing. COVID-19 spreads in overpopulated apartments and shelters. It disproportionately affects the communities in our district where up to 25% of the buildings are overcrowded--the highest overcrowding rates in New York City.

The Place to Prosper Act incentivizes local governments to promote affordable housing in their communities by offering additional funds to local governments that advance the public interest by taking measures such as streamlining permits and timelines to accelerate the building of affordable housing, and prohibiting landlords from rejecting a rental application on the basis of the applicant's source of income. Alexandria is also calling for a repeal of the Faircloth Amendment, so that cities can start expanding their public housing options. Lastly, Alexandria advocates for substantive Low Income Housing Tax Credit and permanent funding of the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

In a just United States, our public housing should be a source of pride for our society and a place of comfort, safety and stability for residents. It's up to us to make it happen.

Alexandria supports:

An end to unjust evictions;
Reduced homelessness;
Holding landlords accountable;
Ensuring that every U.S. resident has a home they can be proud of;
H.R.6515 - Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act of 2020
H.R.5185 - Green New Deal for Public Housing Act
H.R.4546 - Public Housing Emergency Response Act
H.R.5072 - A Just Society: A Place to Prosper Act

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