Washington, DC – In response to the national election results, the National Housing Law Project Executive Director Shamus Roller vowed to continue the fight for housing on behalf of tenants.
“No matter your race, place, or party, everyone deserves a safe and affordable home,” Roller said in a statement. “The real estate industry has manipulated the housing market to serve themselves, not tenants and homeowners.”
While the housing crisis has raged in California for much of the last decade, it began seeing national attention during the past presidential election—albeit one that was overshadowed by issues such as the economy.
However, Roller argued, “The housing crisis has a chokehold on our economy. It prevents hardworking Americans from paying for food and medicine or saving for college or a car because housing costs eat up their paychecks.”
Roller added, “It undermines our country’s progress and raises barriers to stable lives for people of color, people with disabilities, seniors, families with children, and survivors of gender-based violence. “
While the Biden administration has laid out a plan for addressing the housing crisis, NHLP expresses concern that the incoming Trump-Vance administration “has falsely claimed that immigrants caused the housing crisis when the real culprit is a rigged housing system designed by speculators and the real estate industry to serve their needs.”
They pushed for policy changes that promote “deep investments in affordable housing” along with “a real plan to address the housing crisis.”
“Trump has promised to exacerbate the crisis by decimating HUD and its critical programs and further privatizing the housing market. We are ready to fight back, protect working people and families, and save our homes,” Roller said.
During the last Trump administration, NHLP fought back when Trump’s administration “tried to evict 25,000 families with mixed immigration status from HUD housing and when he tried to slash the HUD budget.”
Said Roller, “This time is no different, except we’re even more prepared to wage this fight in Congress and in the courts.
“We will defend the housing rights of immigrants and LGBTQ people, demand Fair Housing, and protect tenants and homeowners against predatory lenders and landlords. We will hold our elected officials accountable when they endanger the people who need stable housing the most. “
Roller concluded, “Our thousands-strong national network of housing justice advocates will help us continue to bolster housing rights at the state and local level and protect tenants. There are tough fights ahead, and we’ll do everything we can to make our housing system work for everyone, not just billionaires and speculators.”
