Affordability. Availability. Equity.

The COVID-19 pandemic, for all the pain it has caused, the lives it has impacted, has also cast a very bright light on so many of our society's structural inequities.

One piece of that puzzle is housing, and the crippling houselessness epidemic and affordable housing crisis facing each and every community across America.

This problem isn't new. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't embrace this moment to make a generational leap forward.

I have a plan to do just that. Because this isn't the time for half-measures, and I wholeheartedly believe our effort can make a transformational difference in the lives of so many Americans who are suffering right now.

This is about affordability. Families are paying far, far too much of their income to basic rent, to the point where they have to cut other corners just to survive.

This is about availability. For people living in our society's margins, housing stability can feel like an unreachable dream. We can fix that with generous investment in affordable housing for low-income families and support, including significantly expanding access to health care, childcare, and other essential services.

This is about equity. We must interrupt the cycle of wealth inequality by investing in historically underserved communities. My plan calls for new tax credits and down payment assistance for low and middle-income Americans, including a down payment tax credit for first-time homebuyers. Increased homeownership will allow people to better control the fate of the community, and will close the systemic (and appalling) gap in net worth between families of color and white families.

Like so much else in Washington D.C., I don't doubt special interests will stand against us. But we can do this, not only because it's the right thing to do, but because we have an obligation to improve lives.

Stay tuned. I hope to bring you more soon.

Ron