Bernie Sanders lays out an ambitious plan on affordable housing
Sanders railed against Trump’s housing policies and explained his own, which calls for federal investment of $2.5 trillion over the next decade and a national rent control standard. He said he will pay for the policy by establishing a wealth tax on the top tenth of one percent — or, according to his estimate, the wealthiest 175,000 families.
Major points of the $2.5 trillion plan include:
- Establishing a national rent control standard that would cap rent increases at no more than 1½ times the rate of inflation or 3 percent, whichever is higher.
- Promoting legal protections for fair housing and taking steps to eliminate racial discrimination and gentrification.
- Expanding the National Housing Trust Fund, which allocates money to states to build and maintain affordable housing for low-income Americans.
- Fully fund Section 8 rental assistance program and eliminate lengthy wait times that plague those seeking those vouchers.
- $70 billion of investment to build and rehabilitate 7.4 million of affordable housing units.
- Build 2 million mixed-income units.
- $50 billion in grants for states, cities and towns to establish community land trusts.
- $32 billion over five years “to end homelessness in America and provide critical outreach services to those who are experiencing chronic homelessness.”
