Regardless of whether you call it attainable housing, workforce housing, or affordable housing, EVERYONE deserves a stable, decent, and safe place to call home. More than decent should be the standard. We cannot build fast enough to meet current demand. We need places of all types where people can call home. Whether that be single or multi-family homes, townhomes, condos, or apartments, people who are looking for home ownership, or rent; our collective actions must reflect a relentless pursuit of getting ahead and not catching up.

Our zoning ordinances and process must provide the right mix of density for housing of all types.

Our situation with housing is not limited to our city, it is a regional issue. As a region, we must be consistent with how we fund and regulate housing development, how we collaborate, and how we provide a stable and resilient infrastructure to support the total person across city and county lines so we remain focused on hyper-local solutions.

As Mayor, I will:

• Create a First Right of Refusal Ordinance to prevent our seniors on fixed incomes from being displaced

• Develop a Stay Put Initiative fund in all development to prevent further gentrification

• Create a Tenants Bill of Rights Ordinance

• Establish a City Community Development Corporation to purchase land, build units, manage property, raise additional revenue, leverage resources to add to our housing inventory, and partner with the private sector

• Create a Property Enhancement Assistance for Rental Housing, General Assistance, and Maintenance Assistance programs in targeted areas

• Set a goal of permitting 500 to 1,000 affordable housing units a year so we can treat housing as infrastructure

• Update zoning ordinances with a focus on creating more housing options for the missing middle and those designated as moderate-income earners

• Pursue up to $50 million from HUD’s Choice Neighborhood program to create mix-use housing, provide infrastructure, and redevelop blighted areas

• Appoint Commissioners to the City of Charleston Housing Authority that have a shared vision and value set regarding housing, and agree to continue to pursue the requirements of being a "Certified" Housing Commissioner by The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials

• Improve coordination and communication with housing authorities

• Create a housing provider working group to make recommendations on implementing best practices, share resources and information, and collaborate

• Partner with the private sector and other ally organizations to create more funding opportunities for first-time home buying programs, home repairs for our seniors and those on a fixed-income, as well as rental assistance.

• Create a Housing Innovation Fund

• Provide funding and programming for Housing Court and Fair Housing

• Support and expand existing Eviction Prevention Programs

• Align efforts and leverage resources from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness

• Proactively advocate with state and federal agencies and partners on scaling what works to provide permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, prevention and diversion of homelessness, low-income housing tax credits, housing choice vouchers, and allow for flexibility