Housing Reform
Affordability
Housing reform starts with ensuring availability. A huge contributor to the steep incline in housing costs has been deregulation, which has led to corporations buying up single family homes at a rate we've never seen before. In some areas like Pine Hills, nearly 13% of home sales from 2020 to 2023 were to investors, and this number is growing. I plan to limit and attempt to eliminate corporate eligibility to purchase homes that actual people so desperately need. Having homes off the market due to corporate greed is something I cannot tolerate. It might be radical, but I believe shelter to be a human right, and I plan on getting as many people as possible into actual, livable homes.
Accessibility
Just because a home is available, that doesn't mean it's accessible. Orange County already has fantastic programs for housing assistance, and I will work to strengthen those programs so that costs can start to become approachable again. Organizations like the Orange County Housing Finance Authority are doing work to get citizens who otherwise might not have the opportunity into homes. There isn't a need to reinvent the wheel. We just have to give it a push to get it rolling again.
Adaptability
Just because a home works for someone, that doesn't mean it works for everyone. Scarcity plagues every type of housing, and I will put in effort to touch all housing situations, all the way down to shelters for those in difficult situations, to ensure there are options for every one of our citizens. Every person deserves a place to call their own, and I believe we can make having one a little simpler for everybody. Let's make Orange County a place anyone can call home.