Many American cities face a housing shortage. The cost of renting and buying in Illinois has increased dramatically, due to a variety of factors, like private equity investments.

Housing is a human right. We must protect current occupants, repair public housing, and build new affordable housing. We must also address the root causes of housing market inflation.

I will introduce or back legislation to incentivize local governments to promote affordable housing in their communities by offering additional funds to local governments that advance the public interest. Measures like streamlining permits and timelines to accelerate the building of affordable housing and prohibiting landlords from rejecting a rental application on the basis of the applicant’s source of income will help promote affordable housing initiatives. We must do everything we can as legislators to increase public housing options.

Rent increases have far outpaced wage increases, leaving families struggling to afford groceries, healthcare, clothes, or school supplies. I will support legislation like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez' The Place to Prosper Act, which proposed curbing rent increases for landlords who own 5 or more properties to just 3% of the preceding year’s rent.

Additionally, we must stop unjust evictions, ensure rental access to lower income renters, and increase protections for homeowners. Furthermore, I will back a substantive Low Income Housing Tax Credit and permanent funding of the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund.