Multifamily homes are illegal to build on most of our residential land. Design standards like height limits, setbacks, and parking requirements, limit creative ways to build affordable homes. This leads to segregated neighborhoods and schools, exacerbating inequality.
Nationally and statewide, subsidized housing has seen dramatic cuts in funding over the last 40 years. The market alone can never meet this need. Housing the poorest residents must become a priority in local, state, and federal budgets, as it was during the post-war era.
New home construction has plummeted from it's peak, despite higher demand. Our local graduates, families, and small business owners are competing with retirees and remote workers from SF and LA. What does get built is typically single-family homes that our cities and most of our neighbors can't afford.
Many, but not all tenants are protected from unjust evictions and rent gouging, leaving thousands homeless and even more neighbors paying too much of their income on rent. State laws have made it essentially illegal to enact broader protections. The tenants who are protected cannot leverage the rights they have, because there are dozens of people competing for their home as soon as they move out.
Builders, homeowners, and affordable housing groups all face long approval processes that increase costs, and are subject to personal preferences by appointed advisory bodies. The more it costs to build a home, the more it will cost to rent or buy that home.
Contact officials, sign petitions, and take other action to push for change.
Come to one of our social events, educational events, or chapter meetings.
Support our work for housing abundance, and join our online community.
Policies we support
Allow more housing in every neighborhood, especially historically affluent and exclusionary neighborhoods, removing barriers to both subsidized affordable and market rate housing
Reform structures that incentivize communities to say no to new homes, including tax systems and car centric transportation systems.
Make housing permits fast and fair, removing arbitrary barriers to both subsidized affordable and market rate housing.
Enact policies that support current residents having stable housing choices amid growth.
Increase funding for subsidized affordable housing through a wide variety of mechanisms, including direct subsidies.
