Issue Position: Housing

Issue Position

Housing is a Fundamental Human Right

Everyone should have a safe place to live, especially in one of the richest cities in the richest nation in the world.

We must ensure every Oregonian has access to affordable housing. I strongly support creating a state-wide rent assistance program and expanding houseless services to help households transition to independent housing. I will vote to end the mortgage interest deduction for families in the top 5% of earners, and use the resulting $160 million to fund housing services. As a physician, I have gone tent to tent, checking in on our houseless populations, and every day I see the impacts of housing insecurity on my patients. I recognize the profound intersection of mental illness, addiction and houselessness. In getting our houseless neighbors into stable housing, we must make sure that they can remain housed by providing mental health care and wrap-around supportive services through a healthcare-for-all plan.

My plan for equitable housing includes:
*State-wide rental assistance
*Eliminating the mortgage interest deduction for the top 5% of income earners
*Expanding affordable housing by easing loan requirements for non-profit, affordable housing developers to expand the stock of available housing
*Investments in new green construction technologies to make Oregon a leader in the research, development, and production of emerging, environmentally friendly construction technology
*A progressive increase in efficiency requirements for new construction
*Statewide public-private funds to assist homeowners in improving the efficiency of their home
*Universal healthcare, including expanded mental health and in-home treatment

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