Dear Friend,
You know this simple, frustrating truth: housing is way too expensive in the Bay Area. But it doesn't have to be this way. I'm writing to you exclusively about this underrated affordable housing solution that is beginning to spread from California to the nation.
Since my first day in office, I have been pushing relentlessly to bring social housing - publicly developed and owned mixed-income homes - to California. It's a missing piece in our toolbox to tackle the housing crisis. Social housing can actualize housing as a human right, and we've seen this housing model successfully solve the housing shortages of places like Singapore and Vienna.
(Top: Meeting Senator Bernie Sanders and Jane Sanders for a summit convened by the Sanders Institute [Photo credit: the Sanders Institute]. Bottom left and right: Social housing delegations to Singapore and Vienna, respectively.)
Before I got elected, social housing was once a concept foreign to most policymakers in California and the whole country. Since then, I've done multiple international delegations, seminars, and inter-state collaborations to push this concept into the mainstream. You're now seeing other states and localities develop their own social housing proposals across the country.
At the federal level, lawmakers like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have recently proposed legislation with the potential to build over 1.25 million social housing units. That's the power of embracing housing as a public good. There's perhaps no better example stateside than the work of Montgomery County, Maryland. They've developed the finances, land ownership authority, and expertise to build the kind of housing needed for people of all income levels.
As I wrote in my recent op-ed for the Sanders Institute, California is the epicenter of the nation's housing crisis. We have to learn from the likes of Montgomery County, Vienna, and Singapore. In 2023, I'm proud that my social housing legislation made it all the way to the Governor's desk. Unfortunately he vetoed the bill, but I'll keep fighting to push this policy forward with our ever-growing coalition of supporters. Now, I've introduced a new social housing bill to embrace social housing at scale, and resolve our housing crisis that's made the American dream impossible for too many.
(Top: Visiting the White House and speaking about social housing at a forum convened by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. Bottom: Co-hosting a social housing discussion with the community organizations Fremont for Everyone and East Bay for Everyone.)
This year I was invited to the White House and the federal Department of Housing & Urban Development to speak on the importance of embracing social housing at scale to solve our national housing crisis. Back at home, I have had the honor of sharing what I have learned to students, community organizations, and neighborhood associations.
As Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Social Housing, I will continue to champion common sense, proven policy that provides housing as a human right. Together we can envision what other countries have done, and create a California where housing doesn't have to be out of reach for everyday people.
What do you think? Can we learn from places like Singapore and Vienna to solve our housing crisis? What other solutions should we consider? Let me know your thoughts, and if you'd want to learn more about social housing.
Sincerely,
Alex Lee
Assemblymember, 24th District
