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The Right to Basic Housing
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw something rare in American politics: proof that government can work for the people when there’s the will to act. Rental assistance, mortgage relief, utility subsidies -these programs didn’t just help families survive a crisis, they proved what’s possible when we prioritize human dignity over corporate profits.
And yet, most of those programs were stripped away or allowed to expire under this administration. Why? Because in Washington, the pain of everyday people is treated as temporary, even when it’s not.
Let me be clear: housing is a human right. No child should have to do homework in the backseat of a car. No veteran should sleep under a bridge. No single parent should face eviction because rent spiked $500 overnight.
I live in Aurora, and I’ve seen people fall into homelessness not from laziness or addiction, but from a system that’s rigged to benefit landlords, investors, and billionaires. That’s not just unjust—it’s un-American.
Here’s how we change that:
Enshrine Housing as a Federal Right. Everyone deserves a safe place to live. I’ll champion legislation that makes housing a guaranteed right, not a speculative investment.
Fund Affordable and Public Housing Projects. We must massively expand public and mixed-income housing developments with federal support—not just in big cities, but in the suburbs and rural areas too.
Restore and Expand Pandemic-Era Housing Programs. Rent relief, mortgage assistance, and utility aid worked—and they should never have ended. I will fight to restore and make these programs permanent.
Protect Tenants and First-Time Homebuyers. We need national rent stabilization, eviction protections, and limits on corporate landlords. We must also offer grants and down-payment assistance for first-time buyers to actually compete in today’s inflated housing market.
Crack Down on Corporate Landlords. Wall Street shouldn’t be allowed to outbid working families and buy up entire neighborhoods. I’ll push for a federal cap on the number of single-family homes corporations can own.
Implement a National Vacancy Tax. Empty luxury units and investor-owned properties should be taxed heavily when they sit unused, while Americans sleep on the streets.
Fund Nonprofits and Mutual Aid. Through a modest 2% wealth tax on fortunes over $100 million, we can grant billions to grassroots organizations, shelters, and community developers already doing the work in our neighborhoods.
Housing insecurity is not a mystery. It’s a policy choice. So is ending it.
Let’s stop pretending that poverty is a personal failure. Let’s reject the cruelty of a system where billionaires hoard houses while millions go without one. We proved during the pandemic that help is possible. Now we must make it permanent.
Your zip code shouldn’t determine your worth. In Congress, I’ll fight for a country where basic existence: housing, healthcare, food, and dignity is guaranteed to every person, no matter who they are or where they’re from.
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Roman Gael Valenciano can’t win without you on this team.
Roman’s Plan to Build 12 Million Social, Co-op & Community-Led Homes
Housing is a human right. I will fight for a future where working families, seniors, and young people aren’t priced out of their own communities.
Here’s how we get there:
1. Federal Investment in Public & Social Housing
Push for a National Homes Guarantee, led by HUD and local communities, with at least $1.5 trillion in federal funding over 10 years.
Prioritize deeply affordable, publicly owned housing, free from private equity control or corporate landlords.
Ensure these homes are permanently affordable, protected from speculation and displacement.
2. Expand Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and Co-ops
Increase federal grants to community land trusts, where land is owned by the community and homes remain affordable forever.
Support resident-owned co-ops and limited equity housing cooperatives, empowering tenants to control and manage their housing.
3. End the Corporate Landlord Monopoly
Ban or heavily tax institutional investors and hedge funds from buying up single-family homes.
Use anti-monopoly laws to break up corporate ownership in the housing market.
Establish a “first right of refusal” for tenants, co-ops, and CLTs when properties go up for sale.
4. Green, Union-Built Construction
Mandate all new social housing be zero-emissions, built using union labor, with strong environmental standards.
This creates millions of good-paying jobs while addressing both the housing crisis and the climate crisis.
5. Prioritize Where It’s Needed Most
Target investments in:
High-rent areas pushing out working families.
Rural communities with few housing options.
Formerly redlined neighborhoods harmed by systemic disinvestment.
Areas with high rates of homelessness or overcrowding.
6. Let Communities Lead
Give tribal governments, public housing authorities, and local nonprofits real power to design housing that works for their people.
End top-down, one-size-fits-all approaches from D.C.
7. Paying for It
Close tax loopholes for corporate landlords and foreign investors.
Enact a Wall Street speculation tax and wealth tax to fund affordable housing construction.
Redirect wasteful federal subsidies away from luxury developers and toward social housing.