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Wednesday, October 02, 2024

I am getting to like Sen. Tina Smith more and more as she - her staff - write her email newsletter.

 October installment - email, so no link - full text:

Housing is a human right. Without it, nothing else in your life works – not your job, your family, your health, your life. A home is more than four walls and a roof over your head. It’s a source of stability and comfort, a place you can make your own and take pride in. A home gives people the freedom and opportunity to build the life they want.

In most US counties, minimum wage workers can’t afford to rent a modest one-bedroom apartment. We have underinvested in housing and underbuilt homes for decades, and this has led to the severe housing shortage our country is experiencing today. On top of that, powerful Wall Street firms and deep-pocketed investors have started buying up the stock of starter homes across the country, outbidding working families, capturing the supply, and squeezing homeowners and renters. It doesn’t have to be this way, and it’s time for Congress to respond with a plan that matches the scale and urgency of the crisis. 

That’s why Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and I partnered to introduce the Homes Act, a plan to establish a new, federally backed housing development authority to finance and build homes in big cities and small towns across America. 

Our bill would help cities, towns and nonprofits build millions of affordable, high-quality homes to meet the housing needs of each unique community, whether it be apartments, starter homes, senior or workforce housing—you name it. The private market isn’t building enough homes that people can afford in the places people want to live. In Minnesota, we already have models for how we can do better.

I was so glad to be joined by incredible housing advocates from Minnesota like Noah Hobbs from One Roof Community Housing in Duluth and Mikeya Griffin from the Rondo Community Land Trust, when I introduced the Homes Act in Washington last month. Community land trusts are an example of the type of organization that would benefit directly from the Homes Act, receiving the support they need to build and rehabilitate enough new, permanently affordable homes to finally meet growing demand. 

Empowering local communities and organizations who are already doing the work on the ground is at the center of our bill. Instead of treating real estate as a commodity, we can underwrite the construction of millions of homes and apartments that, by law, must remain affordable. Some would be rental units; others would offer Americans the opportunity of homeownership and the chance to build equity. This model exists in parts of the United States and is already working around the world, such as in Vienna

This is the federal government’s chance to invest in social housing and give millions of Americans a safe, comfortable and affordable place to call home — with the sense of security and dignity that come with it. I look forward to moving this bill through Congress and addressing the affordable housing shortage that is impacting Minnesotans all over the state.  

Thank you for reading my newsletter. There are a lot of other ways to get in touch with me: follow me on TwitterThreadsFacebook and Instagram to keep up with what’s going on in Minnesota and the Senate!

Two observations. She starts with the clincher. Then, fleshing it out she does not solicit money. What's not to like?