Curbed, March 5, 2020: In Biden vs. Sanders race, two differing visions for housing
Now, with Biden neck-and-neck in the delegate count with Sen. Bernie Sanders, teasing out the nuances around rental assistance, neighborhood displacement and how the government pays for housing may prove pivotal for Democratic voters in a country where a minimum-wage worker cannot afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment anywhere in the U.S. As voters pick between these two frontrunners, they’re choosing what the housing future of America might look like.
No matter which Democratic candidate ends up receiving the nomination, it’s a win for the country, says Diane Yentel, executive director of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. “We have pushed all candidates to share their plans to address the crisis, and 15 candidates responded—many of them with comprehensive, ambitious plans centering the housing needs of the lowest-income people,” she says. “It’s remarkable that after decades of chronic underinvestment by Congress, presidential hopefuls are using their platforms to elevate the housing crisis and its solutions.”
