Harris' record on housing issues
As attorney general for California, Harris drafted and helped pass the California Homeowner Bill of Rights. It is a set of laws designed to protect homeowners from unfair practices. The California Homeowner Bill of Rights became law on Jan. 1, 2013. Harris secured an $18 billion agreement as part of a national multistate settlement to benefit thousands of homeowners who lost their homes due to improper foreclosure or fraud in 2012. As senator, Harris introduced the Rent Relief Act in 2018, a bill that offers tax credits to renters who earn below $100,000 and spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities. Harris resubmitted a second variation of the bill in 2019, which includes a mechanism from the Treasury to pay the tax credit on a monthly basis to eligible households. The latter version also caps the credit at 100% of small area fair market rents instead of 150% of FMR. Harris last month announced the recipients of an $85 million grant under the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing, or PRO Housing, a first-of-its-kind project through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development aimed to increase building activity and lower housing and rental costs for families in the U.S.
That news came on the heels of a May announcement from Harris budgeting $5.5 billion through the HUD to boost affordable housing, invest in economic growth, build wealth and address homelessness in communities across America. Such policies come at a time when the country is facing rising homelessness rates and burdensome costs to buy or rent. In 2023, a record 653,100 people experienced homelessness in 2023, up from 256,600 the year prior, according to a report by the Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies.
'There's potential for a lot of good'
