Constantly rising real estate prices in our district and across the Commonwealth are a key driver of growing wealth inequality. Our current housing policy enables and encourages these rising prices, makes rents out of reach for the average resident, and shuts out an ever-growing portion of residents from the homeownership, a key source of wealth creation. These effects most dramatically hurt people of color, young professionals, and lower-to-middle-income families, and exacerbate economic injustice in the system. We must maintain and expand affordable housing options for low- and very low-income residents in our district, and recognize that “affordable housing” as defined by the State is now too expensive, even for many middle-income families.

I will:

• Work to increase public housing funding, as well as investment in CDCs and nonprofits that build affordable housing
• Sponsor a repeal of the ban on rent control, returning this policy tool to municipalities to use at their discretion
• Create pathways to home ownership, including sponsoring a tenant’s right to purchase law, strengthening community land trusts that already exist, and creating paths towards cooperative ownership
• Help stabilize communities by supporting the Jim Brooks Stabilization Act and the Just Cause Eviction act
• Work to ensure that new developments and public housing renovations do not displace low-income residents.
• Work with advocates across the Commonwealth who are fighting to prevent and end individual and family homelessness in Massachusetts.
• Ensure my legislative autonomy by refusing to accept campaign donations from real estate developers.