Access to housing has become a major election issue this year. Home prices are up a whopping 60% over the past decade, even after accounting for inflation. Additionally, millions of renters spend about half their income on rent.
The two major party candidates for president have released policy ideas on tackling the high costs of housing. Vice President Kamala Harris wants to give first-time home buyers $25,000 for down payments and build more housing on federally owned land.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump’s idea is to deport undocumented immigrants and to lower interest rates—which the Federal Reserve has already announced it will be doing and which presidents have no control over.
Francisco Dueñas, executive director of Housing Now!, a coalition made up of more than 150 organizations in California focused on housing rights, analyzed the proposed solutions with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali.
CORRECTION: Dueñas misstated the size of California’s homeless population during the interview. There are currently 185,000 people experiencing homelessness in California and more than 250,000 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the U.S.