Should Housing Policy Have A Space On Political Platforms ?

According to Curbed some advocates are disappointed by housing policy getting short shrift from the Democratic candidates especially with the debates being held in cities with housing shortages including Atlanta, Miami, and L.A. “These are all Democratic cities where housing affordability is a top issue,” says Randy Shaw, author of "Generation Priced Out" “And the housing movement has never been at a stronger place, at least in terms of pushing the agenda at the federal level.”

Indeed, after barely getting on the radar in recent presidential election years, the deepening affordable housing crisis is poised to play a central role in this year’s local, statewide, and even federal elections. Candidates have proposed changes to housing policy and new spending plans that could dramatically remake neighborhoods across the country—and even result in all-new public housing.

“It’s an important problem facing a lot of people, there are tangible things that could make it better, and you now have a bunch of candidates with proposals who want to do something,” says Jenny Schuetz, a housing policy expert at the Brookings Institution. “But then you get Iran and impeachment. We need a month without craziness to get around to really talking about it.”

Housing has become a much bigger issue in 2020Access to affordable housing is a rallying cry for Democrats who hope the 2020 election will usher in new policy at the federal level. The U.S. Conference of Mayors has made expanding housing opportunities and ending homelessness a key part of its 2020 policy vision.