Comparing the Housing Agendas of the Remaining Democratic Frontrunners for President

Alissa Walker takes a dive into the housing platforms of the two remaining frontrunners for the Democratic nomination for president.

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.

Former Vice President Biden for the first time addressed housing on the campaign trail just days before the recent primary in South Carolina, so some digging is required, but Walker calls on experts for insight, like Jenny Schuetz, an urban economist at the Brookings Institution; Rachel Reyes, an organizer for the Sanders campaign; and Diane Yentel, executive director of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The latter of that group is on the record saying the campaign is pushing candidates to address housing in new ways—to the benefit of the country no matter who wins the nomination, and eventually, November's election.