Washington Created Our Housing & Homelessness Crisis – They Should Fix It!

We don’t just have a homelessness crisis in California; we have a housing crisis. Chronic street homelessness is the tip of a giant housing affordability iceberg. Full-time workers, families, younger people, older people – so many Californians are struggling to find housing they can afford. This crisis has been years in the making, and it’s a direct result of the federal government failing to take ownership of this issue for decades. Municipalities already strapped for resources and staff shouldn’t have to tackle their housing crises alone. The federal government must be more than a partner in building housing. It needs to be a leader. We need more housing now, and only the federal government can make the large-scale policy changes and investments necessary to build quality projects quickly.

It shouldn’t be difficult for any American working full-time, even at minimum wage, to afford a place to call home. Washington can start to be part of the solution by:

Passing a major federal investment in affordable and workforce housing to build the millions more units we need in California.
Ensuring every Californian who qualifies for housing assistance can receive it, including through fully funding Section 8 vouchers at the federal level.
Championing innovative housing financing models to create new homeownership opportunities that don’t reward Wall Street banks.
Investing in more workforce housing to make it easier for new communities to take root and grow, with nonprofits providing residents onsite services and programs tailored to their needs.