Congresswoman Ramirez, Housing Leaders Unveil the Future of Housing: Bold, Progressive, Affordable, Sustainable

Chicago, IL — Last Tuesday, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) joined local and national housing leaders to unveil bold policy actions to realize the progressive vision of affordable, sustainable housing for all, by tenants for tenants. Congresswoman Ramirez celebrated two pieces of groundbreaking legislation she introduced to address the crises of climate change and housing unaffordability: the Green New Deal For Public Housing Act and the Tenants’ Rights to Organize Act. 

The press conference took place at LUCHA’s Passive House, the first sustainable, eco-conscious multi-family building in Illinois certified by PHIUS. Ramirez and the leaders toured the building, which exemplifies the bold and progressive realities possible when community vision and transformative federal investment come together. 

“Today is a day of celebration and hope when, as a community, we declare a new future for housing: one that is bold, progressive, affordable, sustainable. We are in Humboldt Park, in front of a building that speaks to LUCHA’s groundbreaking work at the intersection of climate and housing justice. We are surrounded by a community that has been and will continue to be at the forefront of the fight for housing. Together, we are embarking on a journey to realize a progressive vision of affordable, sustainable housing for all, by tenants and for tenants,” said Congresswoman Ramirez on Tuesday. 

Ramirez added: “With a steadfast commitment to equity and justice, both the Tenants Right to Organize Act and Green New Deal for Public Housing Act, empower tenants. Our legislation particularly centers those from marginalized communities—low-income individuals, women, Black, Brown, and immigrants—to take charge and reshape the housing landscape in our country.”

During the press conference, community leaders, elected officials, and representatives of local organizations highlighted the impact the two historic bills would have on the future of housing.

“Today, we’re standing in front of LUCHA’s award-winning Passive House, built in 2018 as the first multi-family affordable Passive House in Chicago. This building represents the future of housing—LUCHA built this because our community told us we need deeply affordable housing, and we need sustainable housing that is resilient to climate change. This is what is possible when community voice and public resources align to meet human needs,” said Lincoln Stennard, Director of Community Development at LUCHA.

“There are 5.5 million families that do not have the federally enforced right to organize. Thanks to Congresswoman Ramirez’s leadership, the Tenants Right to Organize Act has been filed, it will pass, and when it does, it will empower millions of families to organize and overcome the fear that grips them now when they try. When we fight, we win,” said Michael Kane, Chair of Leaders and Organizers for Tenant Empowerment (LOFTE) Network.

“The climate crisis is here, and it’s impacting us at home and IN our homes. This is an emergency. The Green New Deal for Public Housing would invest up to $234 billion over 10 years to transition the entire public housing stock in the United States into zero carbon, highly energy-efficient homes…The Green New Deal isn’t just a solution to climate change; it is THE pathway to restructuring our society so all of us can thrive. We deserve safe, clean, and sustainable housing that cannot be yanked away in the blink of an eye by a storm or a greedy landlord,” said Paul Campion, organizer with Sunrise Movement Chicago.

“It’s not fair that people who work, who are doing everything they can to raise their kids, cannot afford a safe home to live in. We, as public officials, were elected to make sure that the private market doesn’t continue to have such sway, such strength that people have no homes and people are living in tents. We’re here to make this intervention to make sure everyone is housed,” said State Representative Lilian Jiménez.

“Housing and security is the most pressing issue impacting families in my district, and it’s part of my personal story. Throughout Cook County and across the United States, families face unprecedented challenges in finding sustainable, affordable, and dignified homes due to the impacts of climate change, private control of housing, and lack of tenants’ rights. These two ambitious legislative proposals are precisely what we need to fight for the future of housing, by empowering poor and working-class people to organize in their communities, and by transforming and modernizing housing stock, we can build a future where housing is a human right, not a privilege,” said Cook County Commissioner Anthony Joel Quezada.

“In the 26th ward we have homeowners that are being forced to sell because of the increase in property taxes, because of rent increases, and we have a tent encampment that grows every single day because we just do not have enough public housing. It is a beautiful thing in the 26th ward to be represented by progressive elected officials at all levels of government that believe in the Green New Deal for Public Housing and the Tenants Rights to Organize Act,” said Alderperson Jessie Fuentes.

“My mother, civil rights organizer Marion Stamps, came to this city at 17 with a baby in her stomach and one on her hip, to live in public housing—Cabrini Green. That’s where she created the Chicago Housing Tenants Organization, to give poor Black and brown women a voice to be seen, to be heard, to be valued. 40 years ago, she fought for what we are still standing here fighting for today. I am blessed to be part of a true coalition of Black, brown, white, poor, and working-class people and elected officials. Let’s get this across the finish line for generations not yet born,” said Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps.

“Chicago Housing Authority residents, including myself, have experienced poor living conditions in Scattered Sites locations for many years, such as flooding and sewage coming into our units, water damage from broken pipes, years-old mold, and roach and mice infections. Congresswoman Ramirez’s two housing bills will give tenants the right to organize themselves and demand safe and sanitary living conditions,” saidCatherine Serpa, CHA North Central Scattered Sites Local Advisory Council President.

“I’m proud to be here today with Congresswoman Ramirez because first she was a champion for affordable housing in Illinois, and now she’s a champion for affordable housing for the rest of the country. With these two bills, housing voucher recipients and low-income housing tax credit residents for the first time will have the collective power to make sure that their housing is quality while raising the number of public housing units across the country. I’m ready to fight for this wherever we’ve got to go to make this happen because this is one of the few times that the government is working for us, and I appreciate that,” said Roderick Wilson, Executive Director of Lugenia Burns Hope Center.

“Every person deserves safe, stable, and affordable housing. But too often, tenants, especially Black, Brown, and low-income tenants, are forced to live in deplorable conditions without their basic rights being respected. In my work with the Shriver Center, we’ve seen tenants living in subsidized housing—going without heat and water, with broken locks on their doors, without elevators, without their basic needs being respected. Tenant organizers and tenant organizations bravely speak to better their lives and their communities, but they too often face retaliatory action and even eviction. The Tenants Right to Organize Act helps protect these brave tenants,” said Eric Sirotta, Director of Housing Justice at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law.

"About 38,700 people in Illinois make their homes in public housing—in cities, suburbs, and rural areas—all the way from Lake County down to Cairo at the southern tip of Illinois. They will benefit from the Green New Deal for Public Housing, but so will our entire society, because we’ll also be creating good-paying jobs and addressing climate change. The Green New Deal for Public Housing is a model for all housing in our society—to be zero-carbon and highly energy-efficient,” said Foluke Akanni, Housing Policy Organizer for Housing Action Illinois.

“For too long, sustainability has been seen as an issue for people of means, and not for people from our communities. Congresswoman Ramirez’s two bills will go a long way towards recognizing that all people of all our communities are valued, and deserve to be at the table in creating sustainability, and we’re proud to support the Congresswoman in these efforts,” said Juan Carlos Linares, President and CEO of Association House of Chicago.

For live video of the event, click HERE.

For photos of the event, click HERE.

BACKGROUND

Since coming to Congress, Congresswoman Ramirez has been building a coalition with young progressives in Congress, local housing leaders, and national organizations to architect a bold vision for the future of housing. As a young progressive Latina who grew up watching her neighbors organize for fair housing, Congresswoman Ramirez is centering tenants’ vision and power as a cornerstone of our housing future. Her legislation empowers tenants, especially low-income, women, Black, Brown, and immigrants, to transform the housing landscape in our country.

Given the unprecedented crisis, Congresswoman Ramirez has introduced and is supporting unprecedented solutions: 

• H.R. 5827, the Tenants’ Right to Organize Act, introduced by Rep. Delia C. Ramirez and co-leads Reps. Tlaib, Pressley, Gomez, and Casar, would protect the organizing rights of tenants with Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) and tenants living in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties. It also expands protections to mixed-status families and those who may not be eligible for tenant-based rental assistance. The full text of the legislation can be found HERE. A one-pager can be found HERE. 
• H.R.7782, Green New Deal for Public Housing Act, introduced by Rep. Delia Ramirez, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Senator Bernie Sanders, would transition the entire public housing stock of the United States into zero-carbon, highly energy-efficient developments that produce on-site renewable energy, expand workforce capacity and family self-sufficiency programs, and focus on community development through grants. The full text of the legislation can be foundHERE. A one-pager can be foundHERE.
• For a one-pager with cosponsored legislation by Ramirez, click HERE.