As a community organizer, I’ve worked on the ground with families struggling to find affordable housing. I’ve led campaigns to protect tenants’ rights, fought against unjust evictions, and advocated for equitable zoning practices. My experience ensures that the voices of those most affected by this crisis are at the center of my policy proposals.

This crisis isn’t just about supply—it’s about equity. While developers profit, families are being pushed out of their homes. Low-income households are disproportionately affected, with many facing unsafe living conditions or displacement due to gentrification. Addressing this requires not just more housing, but fair housing.

Unlike Senator Blackwood and Representative Tate, I would focus on rent stabilization policies, stronger tenant protections, and expanding public housing programs. Private developers have had decades to address this problem, and they’ve only made it worse. It’s time for the state to take a more active role in ensuring housing is treated as a right, not a commodity.

We’ve relied too heavily on market-based solutions, which prioritize profits over people. Policies that incentivize developers without strict accountability measures have only exacerbated inequality. My plan ensures housing investments are directly tied to affordability and community well-being.

As a longtime advocate for affordable housing, I’ve authored bills that increased funding for state housing trusts and reduced red tape for housing developments. I’ve worked with local governments, developers, and community organizations to craft policies that balance growth with affordability, and I understand the complexity of this issue.

Some argue that deregulating the housing market alone will solve this crisis, but that approach ignores the role of predatory developers and the lack of safeguards for low-income families. A balanced approach that includes regulation, incentives, and community input is essential to create lasting solutions.

Housing affordability has reached a crisis point in our state. Over 40% of renters are cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Meanwhile, homeownership is increasingly out of reach for middle-class families due to rising prices and limited inventory. This impacts economic mobility and forces families to make impossible choices between housing, healthcare, and education. Addressing this requires bold action and targeted investments.

Unlike past efforts that focused primarily on subsidized housing for low-income residents, my plan takes a holistic approach. It expands affordable housing options for both renters and buyers by incentivizing the construction of mixed-income developments, offering tax credits to developers who build affordable units, and reforming zoning laws to increase housing density in urban areas.

Housing prices have risen because demand far outstrips supply. This is not a problem the state government can fix with subsidies alone. Encouraging private development and increasing supply is the only sustainable way to lower costs and make housing more accessible.

I would focus on reducing unnecessary regulations that drive up construction costs and slow down new developments. This includes reforming permitting processes and eliminating restrictive zoning laws that prevent multi-family housing in areas that desperately need it. By removing these barriers, we can increase housing supply and reduce costs naturally.

Instead of asking how the state can directly solve this problem, we should be asking how we can empower local governments and communities to address their own housing needs. The state’s role should be to provide resources and remove barriers, not dictate one-size-fits-all solutions.

State-level mandates often complicate housing development rather than helping it. For example, rent control policies may seem like a solution but can discourage developers from building new rental units. We need policies that encourage growth, not stagnation.