Housing Advocates Urge Lawmakers to Cancel Rent and Mortgages
03.31.2020
NATIONWIDE -- Tomorrow, millions of families across the...
03.31.2020
NATIONWIDE -- Tomorrow, millions of families across the United States will be unable to make their rent and mortgage payments due to unemployment and illness. The economic and public health crises caused by coronavirus have compounded for families that were already feeling the strain of mounting rent and insignificant wages.
As they scramble today to pull together enough money for April’s rent and mortgage payments, 200 housing advocates from across the Center for Popular Democracy network came together with Representatives Jesús “Chuy” García (D-IL) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) to share their stories and call for federal action to cancel rent and mortgages for the extent of the coronavirus crisis.
New estimates hold that the unemployment rate in the United States could reach as high as 32 percent and 67 million people across the country work jobs that are at high risk of layoffs. Already, over three million have filed for unemployment insurance and 5.5 percent of the country is estimated to be unemployed.
“Housing is health care right now. I am urging Congress to work for the 99 percent. We don’t need bail outs. We, the 99 percent, need to survive,” said Ruby Gordillo, a member of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment. “My family and I have been underhoused for six years. We paid nearly $1,000 rent for a studio apartment. Before that, we were homeless. My husband used to sleep in the back of his vehicle. It will be two weeks tomorrow that we will have been in this house that we reclaimed in El Sereno. It sat empty. With the coronavirus crisis, it was urgent for us to take this action. Community members furnished the home for us, have been helping with child care for my children, and have been helping with groceries. This has made such a difference for me and my family during this COVID-19 crisis. In California, we are asking the Governor to allow people to stay in vacant homes during this crisis.”
“I have been out of work for two weeks. My wife is a bus driver and got laid off when she came back from spring break. We have all payments coming up -- car insurance, utilities, rent. I am a cancer survivor and transplant patient. I am immunocompromised and cannot drive Uber anymore. I know if I get this virus, it will be devastating for me,” said Roberto Rodriguez, a member of Organize Florida. “We are struggling right now. We need the federal government to step up and help us. We need to cancel rent.”
Though the federal government passed a relief package, it does not include the protections that housing insecure and houseless individuals need to survive this crisis. While there is a freeze on evictions and foreclosures for people who live in federal properties or have federally-backed loans, this only applies to half of the people who need housing assistance. Advocates on the call noted that future relief packages must include rent and mortgage cancellation for all people. Their further demands include a freeze on utility shut-offs, a moratorium on work requirements for public housing, and a housing emergency fund for people who need assistance.
“We know that many families were struggling to keep roofs over their heads and food on the table. And now they are left with little to no option. As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, we know things are becoming even more dire for people and their families,” said Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). “Tomorrow, on April 1st, things will become even more painful for millions if we do not cancel rent and cancel mortgages. This is a public health crisis and every aspect of our lives should be treated as such. Cancelling rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the COVID-19 virus pandemic would relieve financial pressure, allow residents to stay home from work without the added concern of losing their housing and limit the spread of the virus.”
“It is always communities of color, working class families and immigrants that are hit the hardest in crises. Many of my constituents are worried about how they are going to pay their rent. They are worried about whether they will lose their jobs and their homes and if their children are going to be able to continue learning,” said Representative Jesús “Chuy” García (D-MI). “I introduced a bill before this big relief package to forbid evictions and foreclosures during the crisis. A more modest version got passed in the recent package, which prevents evictions and foreclosures for 60 percent of people. But it is not enough. What about the other 40 percent? We need to keep fighting. Please keep up the fight with me so that everyone can keep their home and their job. Now, more than ever, we need to have each others’ backs.”
“If the federal government will propose a half a trillion dollar slush fund for corporations, why won’t they cancel rent and mortgages for the people who need it the most?” said Jennifer Epps-Addison, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy. “The White House is busy trying to bail out big corporations. The last stimulus package is not nearly what our families need and deserve. Working people, especially our immigrant brothers and sisters, are left out of that bill. It is the duty of the federal government to cancel rent and mortgages so that people can stay in their homes.”
Tele-townhall recording is available at this link
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Media Contact: Lia Weintraub, lweintraub@populardemocracy.org, 202-618-2482
Center for Popular Democracy Responds to Passage of CARES Act
03.27.2020
WASHINGTON -- In response to passage of the CARES Act, the Center for Popular...
03.27.2020
WASHINGTON -- In response to passage of the CARES Act, the Center for Popular Democracy released the following statement:
“Today, Congress passed a $2.2 trillion package to respond to the coronavirus crisis. In the weeks before, our communities fought tooth and nail for the protections we desperately need -- health care and cash payments for all people, regardless of immigration status. A moratorium on evictions. Election protection. A dramatic reduction of the number of people detained in jails, prisons and immigrant detention facilities. Cancellation of student debt. We called our elected representatives. We told our stories.
“But the forces that we are up against are great. President Trump, right wing Republicans and their billionaire funders used the urgency of response to COVID-19 to do what they always do: protect the wealthiest families in the nation, while working to transfer wealth and rights from the most marginalized Americans to those who have marginalized us.
“The vast inequality in the United States means that Black and Brown people, working people, immigrants and people who are immuno-compromised will bear the worst effects of COVID-19 and the economic recession it has caused. This bill is nowhere near what we need.
“The relief cannot stop here. We need more for our communities and not one more dollar for corporations.
“The priority of our government needs to be solely focused on helping people survive the pandemic and the economic suffering unleashed by this crisis. This is not the time to send people back to work, risking their lives in the process. That will only prolong the pandemic and result in more deaths. Now, Congress must now advance a package to support workers, save lives and put in place measures that will make everyone less vulnerable to health, economic and climate catastrophes. In order to do that, we need to put in place measures that meet the needs of those most vulnerable: gig economy workers, immigrants, people who are incarcerated, domestic workers, healthcare workers, and small business owners.
“In every corner of this country, families are suffering. What this crisis has shown is our society is as strong as the most vulnerable. As long as millions of people continue to live paycheck to paycheck, and millions more are without healthcare or paid sick days, we will be at the mercy of a virus and other disasters. As long as we continue to put billions of dollars in jails and detention centers, instead of hospitals and schools, we will be vulnerable. This crisis offers an opportunity to invest in people so that we not only survive, but thrive. Congress has a historic opportunity to use its power to build a better country out of this crisis. We will push them to meet that challenge.”
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Media Contact: Lia Weintraub, lweintraub@populardemocracy.org, 202-618-2482
Center for Popular Democracy Network Reacts to Senate Stimulus Package
03.26.2020
WASHINGTON -- Yesterday, the Senate unanimously passed a $2.2 trillion...
03.26.2020
WASHINGTON -- Yesterday, the Senate unanimously passed a $2.2 trillion stimulus package to respond to the coronavirus crisis.
Ana Maria Archila, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, reacted to the legislation and the needs still unmet with the following statement:
“In this time of crisis, the Senate has taken a needed step in responding to the biggest public health and economic emergency our country has faced in more than a generation. Senate Democrats led the change and proved their ability to act, amidst obfuscation from President Trump and Republicans who care more about corporate profits than human life. This bill is a start, but our communities need and deserve more. We are disappointed that corporations get $500 billion, while immigrants get cut out of health provisions or economic relief. We are disappointed that hospitals got bail outs, but hospital workers are left in the dark.
“In this bill, House Democrats need to fight for debt cancellation, a moratorium on evictions, foreclosures and shut offs. We need to ensure that everyone in our country, regardless of immigration status, gets financial relief for the duration of this crisis.
“The relief cannot stop here. In the next stimulus plan, we want to see funding for us, for the people. Not for corporations. We want to see a package that supports a dramatic reduction in the number of people detained in jails, prisons and immigration detention facilities, and financial resources to protect the health of those who remain incarcerated. We want to see healthcare, cash payments, and unemployment benefits that all people, regardless of immigration status, can benefit from. We want to see billions in additional funding for states to prepare for the 2020 elections to ensure safety, fairness, and inclusion. The next government intervention must focus on the vital resources that we all need to live -- paid sick and family leave, free treatment for anyone impacted by COVID-19, and election protection mechanisms so we can have access to our elections.
“We need a massive investment into a healthcare system that is not driven by profit. We need to enroll COVID-19 patients into Medicare. We need to create medicine at home at the NIH to protect us from the shortages that we are now facing.
“We need to center the voices of gig economy workers, of immigrants and people who are incarcerated, of domestic workers and small business owners in conversations about a just recovery. Our families are suffering. We will not allow Congress to sit idly by.”
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Media Contact: Lia Weintraub, lweintraub@populardemocracy.org, 202-618-2482
Youth Leaders and Allies React to NYPD’s Latest School Safety Data
Youth leaders have won significant reductions in arrests and summons in NYC schools, but Black...
Youth leaders have won significant reductions in arrests and summons in NYC schools, but Black and Latinx students continue to face the brunt of racially discriminatory school policing.
NEW YORK, NY -- Last week, the NYPD released their most recent data on school safety. The report, which is the first full quarter of school year data since the new school climate reforms were announced last year, shows that overall numbers of school arrests and summons have gone down significantly, but racial disparities in policing action remain high.
Key analysis of the data:
The overall number of arrests decreased by 54.4% and summons decreased by nearly 59% as compared to last year’s data at this time.
Black students represent 25.5% of district enrollment, yet were 54.8% of all students arrested. While this proportion is lower than corresponding data from 2018 (in which Black students were 60% of those arrested), it is still more than twice the representation of Black students in the district.
In addition to the racial disparities remaining high, the number of juvenile reports increased by 34% in the past year and by 82.3% in the past three years. In addition, 90.2% of students who received juvenile reports last quarter were Black or Latinx, a proportion which has not reduced since 2018.
The data validates calls by youth-led organizations and allies across the city for the Mayor to end arrests, summons, and juvenile reports in schools for non-criminal violations and misdemeanors.
In response to the data, representatives from Urban Youth Collaborative and the Center for Popular Democracy released the following statements:
“These decreases in arrests and summons are a direct result of years of organizing by Black and Latinx youth, including leaders of Urban Youth Collaborative, who have called for the city to end arrests and summons in schools and stop the mass criminalization of youth of color,” said Kesi Foster, Organizer, Make the Road New York & The Urban Youth Collaborative.
"This data is only scratching the surface of what Black students and other students of color go through on the daily. Normal youthful behavior of Black and Brown students is still being criminalized. School is a place to learn and should be a place for all students to feel safe but we don’t feel safe with metal detectors and police. The city is trying to normalize police being involved in every part of our lives, but that’s not right, and it’s not what we need. We need to remove police and metal detectors and invest more funding in social, emotional, and mental health support and staff,” said Keneisha Buckley, a 15-year old youth leader at the Rockaway Youth Task Force.
"The reduction in the number of arrests and summonses in schools is a welcome change, driven by the work and vision of Black and Brown young people," said Kate Terenzi, Staff Attorney for Education Justice Campaigns, Center for Popular Democracy. "While arrests and summonses have gone down, we have seen a dramatic increase in juvenile reports and essentially no change in the racial disparities. The progress on arrests and summons that we see today must be followed by truly dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline which will mean creating police-free schools, and a complete end to arrests, summonses, and juvenile reports for misdemeanors and violations in schools."
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Media Contact: Trisa Taro, ttaro@populardemocracy.org
Photo via Brooklyn Ink
Before Humphrey-Hawkins Hearings, Fed Up Speaks Out for Full Employment, High Wages
02.11.2020
WASHINGTON -- Today, ahead of the Humphrey-Hawkins...
02.11.2020
WASHINGTON -- Today, ahead of the Humphrey-Hawkins Hearings on Capitol Hill, over a dozen activists with Fed Up spoke out for full employment and high wages. The activists, decked out in bright green shirts plastered with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s face, shared their stories of wage stagnation and income insecurity ahead of the House Financial Services committee hearing.
Photos from the event are available here.
During the speak out, Fed Up activists said the following:
Arthur Blair
“The Federal Reserve should represent all of the American people, not just the economic elite.”
Jessica Moreno
“I am the daughter of immigrants. My mom raised my sister and me on a low wage warehouse job. Her wages did not grow in over ten years, just like many members of my community. Many more cannot secure a full time job with a living wage.”
LaDon Love
“The federal reserve needs to focus on wage growth in their review. They need to take into account that wages are not going up. People are working multiple jobs and not making ends meet. To not focus on this problem is to do a disservice to our country.”
Antonia Reynolds
“I have a 44 year old son who lives at home because he can’t afford to live in the District of Columbia on his wages. The Federal Reserve must recognize that this is a reality for many Black and Brown communities.”
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Media Contact: Lia Weintraub, lweintraub@populardemocracy.org, 202-618-2482
Puerto Rican Activists Reject Debt Restructuring Agreement
02.10.2020
San Juan,...
02.10.2020
San Juan, Puerto Rico -- In response to the new debt adjustment deal announced by the Financial Management and Oversight Board (FOMB) on February 9th, the co-director of community dignity campaigns at Center for Popular Democracy, Julio Lopez Varona, shared the following statement:
“The FOMB’s latest proposal should be seen as an insult to the people of Puerto Rico. This agreement ensures lofty payments to hedge funds and corporations who paid cents on the dollar on bonds that were in some cases emitted illegally. These payments will be funded by cutting pensions and imposing even more taxes, despite the struggle to recover from ongoing earthquakes and the impact of Hurricane Maria. No payments to Wall Street should be made while Puerto Rico struggles to recover. It is imperative that we reject this agreement and demand the cancellation of the debt as the only way to a fair recovery.”
Despite Puerto Rico’s unsustainable debt undergoing renegotiating deals for the last few years, the FOMB’s proposal has barely reached a consensus on a plan that does more than benefit Wall Street and bondholders. The proposal would give bondholders more than a 70% rate of recovery, retrieving that by raising local taxes and sustaining an 8.5% cut to pensions.
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Puerto Rico’s Earthquakes; This is About Austerity
01.13.2020
SAN JUAN...
01.13.2020
SAN JUAN, PR -- Following the recent series of earthquakes since the start of the new year in Puerto Rico, causing an island-wide blackout, leaving thousands homeless, and causing structural damage to hundreds of buildings, schools, and main roads, an estimated two thousand people have been housed in shelters, and thousands more have pitched tents in their backyards. The Center for Popular Democracy - a national network of community organizations - and the Maria Fund - created after the historic 2017 hurricane - made a call to funnel resources to community groups on the ground and address the real issue at hand.
“From the Hurricanes of 2017 to the earthquakes of this year, Puerto Rico continues to grasp for recovery under decades of political mismanagement and budget cuts that have crippled its infrastructure and driven hundreds of thousands out. In order to ensure that Puerto Ricans achieve a just recovery, we must address the root of the issue,” added Julio Lopez Varona, co-director of community dignity campaigns of the Center for Popular Democracy. “The debt is a burden to the recovery of the island and it must be canceled to put the needs of the people first, not Wall Street. Long-term investments in infrastructure, including building schools and shelters up to code, solidifying the power and water grids, securing hospitals and roads, protecting pensions, and providing safe housing alternatives for low-income families, are just a few of the basic needs that should be immediately championed. Anything less is placing a band-aid on an open wound, expecting it to just go away.”
The Maria Fund plans to move rapid response funding to the network of social justice initiatives and grassroots community organizing groups that are supporting the people most impacted by the recent earthquakes that have devastated areas of the south of Puerto Rico. Here is more detailed information of the immediate needs of the organizations located in these areas.
“The disastrous response of the local and federal governments are connected to an agenda that doesn’t center the lives of the people of Puerto Rico. This agenda has created a crippling debt, promoted budget cuts, poor maintenance of infrastructure, privatization, and displacement. The frontline groups who are stepping up at this moment know this, and the relief response they are organizing is part of a commitment to demanding structural changes for the long-term”, added Xiomara Caro, Executive Director of the María Fund.
These rapid response funds will also be made available to the network of 49 organizations, many of which have already decided to step up and organize needs assessments, delivery of emergency supplies, service brigades to refugee camps, legal education, emotional support, and demanding equitable and systemic changes to improve their immediate and long-term reality, among other strategies. See here this broader list of organizations.
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Media Contact: Inarú Melendez, imelendez@populardemocracy.org, 413-331-9530
Statement: It’s Time to Repeal Trump’s Corrupt Opportunity Zones
11.22.2019
WASHINGTON -- Today, Representative Rashida Tlaib introduced legislation...
11.22.2019
WASHINGTON -- Today, Representative Rashida Tlaib introduced legislation to repeal President Donald Trump’s controversial “Opportunity Zone” tax incentive provision. With Tlaib’s legislation, firms would no longer be able to collect capital gains tax breaks for projects in areas the Treasury Department designates as “opportunity zones.” The program has come under scrutiny for corruption. Though initially intended to be an economic development tool in low-income areas, news has broken about its application in wealthy communities as favors to developers and wealthy individuals. Estimates suggest that Tlaib’s legislation would save the federal government $1 billion in tax revenue over the next decade.
In response to the legislation, members of Data for Progress and the Center for Popular Democracy network released the following statements:
Dianne Enriquez, Co-Director of Community Dignity Campaigns, Center for Popular Democracy
“The farce is up: Trump’s ‘Opportunity Zones’ only create opportunity for luxury developers. While these firms receive millions of dollars in tax incentives, millions of people in this country are homeless or housing insecure. Representative Rashida Tlaib’s legislation is an important first step in unrigging the system so that we can work toward a future where we all have a home to thrive.”
Branden Snyder, Executive Director, Detroit Action
“The people who benefit most from President Trump’s Opportunity Zones provision are billionaires real estate developers.. Instead of building the affordable housing that our city -- and our country -- desperately need, the provision is worsening displacement and padding the pockets of billionaires. I applaud Representative Rashida Tlaib for introducing a repeal to the Opportunity Zone tax break so that we can get to work actually addressing the housing crisis in Detroit and nationwide.”
Maxwell Cabello, Senior Land Use and Policy Analyst, Churches United for Fair Housing
"Churches United for Fair Housing supports the necessary repeal of the federal Opportunity Zone legislation. The mechanics of this legislation allow for wealthy developers, investment funds, and other private parties to generate enormous profits from the exploitation of largely low-income communities of color while also being provided shelter from their existing tax obligations. The Opportunity Zone legislation provides no regulatory controls to guarantee investments benefit low-income residents who live or work in designated opportunity zones, and any future legislation must include strict parameters and strong enforcement to ensure investment benefits those truly in need rather than simply create yet another tax shelter for the wealthy."
Daniel Aldana Cohen, Fellow, Data for Progress
"Trump's so-called "Opportunity Zones" tax credit does nothing to help low-income communities, and especially communities of color, that have suffered decades of disinvestment. It does, however, help private investors with generous tax cuts. We endorse Rep. Tlaib's legislation to repeal this bad policy, and to instead invest directly in genuine affordable housing programs, and building wealth in the communities that need it most."
The following organizations from the Center for Popular Democracy network have endorsed the legislation: Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Arkansas Community Organization, Churches United for Fair Housing, Detroit Action, Make the Road Nevada, Maryland Communities United, New York Communities for Change, and Organize Florida.
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Media Contact: Lia Weintraub, lweintraub@populardemocracy.org, 202-618-2482
Statement: Solving our Affordable Housing Crisis will take Significant Investment
11.20.2019
WASHINGTON -- Today, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced...
11.20.2019
WASHINGTON -- Today, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced legislation in the United States House of Representatives that would supply 12 million units of affordable housing, including 8.5 million units of public housing, over the next 10 years. The $1 trillion investment would create public housing and private, permanently affordable rental units, virtually ending our current affordable housing crisis. Representative Omar’s legislation also prohibits discrimination against residents based on sexual orientation, gender, criminal history or immigration status, and invests in services for those experiencing homelessness, like employment or education assistance, childcare and financial literacy classes. Lastly, the legislation would create a Community Control and Anti-Displacement Fund within the Department of Housing and Urban Development to protect families from the worst effects of gentrification and displacement.
The Center for Popular Democracy and members of our network endorsed the legislation and released the following statements:
Dianne Enriquez, co-director of community dignity campaigns, Center for Popular Democracy
“Representative Omar’s bill proves that it is possible for every person in the United States to have a stable, affordable place to call home. Not only does the legislation create 12 million units of affordable housing, it also makes sure that all future funding needs are fully met so that public units do not fall into disrepair. This provision, plus wrap-around services for people experiencing homelessness, would help to end our housing crisis. We are already paying the costs for the affordable housing crisis through skyrocketing rents and a growing homeless population. Instead of allowing our crisis to worsen, let’s invest in the affordable housing we need. I am proud to endorse the Homes for All Act because we need a broad reimagining of our affordable housing system.”
Elianne Farhat, Executive Director, Take Action Minnesota
"Every person has dignity and deserves a place to call home. The Homes for All Act that Rep. Omar introduced today and is an important step forward in providing enough housing for everyone to thrive. Homelessness and affordable housing shortages affect every urban and rural area in our country. It requires large scale investments and bold action from Congress. We are proud to endorse this bill.”
Other organizations within the Center for Popular Democracy network who endorsed the legislation include: Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha, Take Action Minnesota.
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Media Contact: Lia Weintraub, lweintraub@populardemocracy.org, 202-618-2482
Center for Popular Democracy Celebrates Green New Deal for Public Housing Act
11.14.2019
WASHINGTON -- Today, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria...
11.14.2019
WASHINGTON -- Today, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act, the first legislation related to the Green New Deal, in their respective chambers. The move is significant in bringing public housing to the center of the conversation about sustainability, quality jobs and community development.
The Center for Popular Democracy endorses the legislation as a meaningful step toward a future of economic, climate and housing justice. Dianne Enriquez, co-director of community dignity campaigns at the Center for Popular Democracy, released the following reaction to the legislation.
"Our homes are the foundations for our lives. With the Public Housing Green New Deal, they will become the foundation for our country's future economic security and environmental sustainability. This landmark legislation will at once offer job training for public housing residents, create family-sustaining jobs, and revitalize public housing units with green technology. Not only does it provide a pathway toward financial independence for public housing residents, but it also generates opportunities for meaningful participation in the oversight of their housing community. The Public Housing Green New Deal sets our country on a path of compassionate governance and will help to build a future for our country that includes us all."
Organizations within the Center for Popular Democracy network also endorsed the bill, including: Action NC, Action Now!, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Arkansas Community Organization, CASA, Detroit Action, Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization, Make the Road Nevada, Make the Road New York, New Florida Majority, New York Communities for Change, One Pennsylvania, Rights and Democracy Vermont, Rights and Democracy New Hampshire, River Valley Organizing, UnHarm Ohio and West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition.
Pat McCoy, executive director of Action NC, said: “For far too long public housing residents have been ignored when decisions are made that impact their communities. By requiring input from the community and local residents as well as any grant proposal requiring the approval of the resident council ensures that resident voices are heard and matter. Furthermore, the Family Self-Sufficiency Program allows for greater support for residents working towards financial independence. Action NC's mission is to confront and reduce the root causes of poverty and economic inequality. This bill hits at the heart of these issues for residents of public housing and is why we support the Green New Deal for Public Housing.”
Roslyn M. Ogburn, housing organizer at Detroit Action, said: “Detroit Action endorses the Green New Deal for Public Housing Act, which promotes a way to empower low and very low-income housing residents with the essential benefits needed to ensure jobs, economic growth, better quality of life, energy-efficient options and access to stable and long term housing.”
Andrea Mercado, executive director of The New Florida Majority, said: “The Green New Deal is a big step in the right direction to address equity as it relates to climate change. We support this legislation and will continue to fight for a just transition that is rooted in dignified work and clean energy for black and brown communities.”
Jonathan Westin, executive director of New York Communities for Change, said: “We are proud to stand with Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Sanders to introduce a Green New Deal for Public Housing. For decades the federal government has neglected public housing residents, cut services and forced funding shortages from city to city. Families are in desperate need of relief and protection from devastating climate disasters. We need to ensure quality public housing for all families across the country.”
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Media Contact: Lia Weintraub, lweintraub@populardemocracy.org, 202-618-2482
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