Home is a human right and every person should have safe, accessible, sustainable, and permanently affordable housing. Our community is threatened by a racist housing system that concentrates poverty for the profit of big developers.
Homelessness is a moral crisis that we have the resources to solve. In West Philadelphia, we see that gentrification means rising rent, property tax and cost of living is forcing long time neighbors to leave their homes and close their businesses. This epidemic has hit black homeowners the hardest, removing one of the opportunities black families have to accumulate wealth in our city.
New homes are not being built to the structural or environmental standards that we need to thrive. We need bold leadership to make Pennsylvania a national model for a housing system that prioritizes people over profit, a model that will stand up against practices that create intergenerational poverty, and ensures that homes are safe and affordable. This begins with a Homes Guarantee.
I will:
- Work with other elected officials in our district to ensure that affordable housing is prioritized by developers, and that we are investing in existing public housing
- Support identifying and addressing factors that result in homelessness in our community
- Create a transparent, accountable process for state-level development grants in our district
- Stand up for policies that protect renters and homeowners