Ensuring Access to Affordable Housing For All

We face a housing crisis of historical proportions, yet our governmental response has been ineffective. This is because the simple solution of allowing housing of all types to be built through the city has become so politicized. 

Politicians have spent years debating exactly the size, scale, quantity, affordability, construction type, income restrictions, and labor standards of housing—with little to show for it. They debate whether supply and demand applies to housing in San Francisco (spoiler: we saw a very noticeable dip in rent at the start of the pandemic when people moved out and the available supply exceeded demand) rather than updating racist housing policies to create abundant and therefore affordable housing.  

A city where tens of thousands are being forced to choose between paying the rent and putting food on the table cannot remain viable for long. The retail workers, transit operators, servers, bartenders, and teachers that keep San Francisco running are being pushed too far out of the city to continue in their jobs, while others priced out of their apartments may find no alternative but to join the ranks of the unhoused. So many of our city’s problems can be traced back to the lack of abundant and affordable housing.