Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — Homes Act Press Conference

Speaker 1: Yeah, you should come on a

Speaker 2: little front

Speaker 3: Great

Speaker 4: Hi! We all are the same height, I think. We are? 5'7 and a half. Are you for me? I'm 5'3. You're 5'3? I'm 5'3. I'm just a half

Speaker 5: Oh, I feel like you're 5'7. People tell me I feel like I'm just 5. 5'1. You guys come up in the front. Yeah, of course. Come

Speaker 7: on in. Yeah. No problem, no problem. Yes! We're all friends today. Yes. We're all here for the same call. That's

Speaker 8: right. Let's

Speaker 7: get this thing passed. Gotta check and make sure

Speaker 10: it's right side up. That's always my mistake

Speaker 12: We're having

a team. - Are

Speaker 12: you covering

Speaker 13: a big time, they're gonna see you. - No

Speaker 12: please. - I'm

all

Speaker 14: about it. - Oh, you know what you're getting? I'm all about it

Awww. - Yeah, you want to go look one? - It's pretty too important to me

Speaker 15: Oh, yes, look at you

Speaker 16: Come with me, come with me. Good, good, good. Very in front of me. Yeah, you got it. Perfect

Thank you so much. - Before you say it's okay, man. It's pretty amazing. - I don't think

Speaker 17: any of these things are going to be part of this time

I think

Speaker 19: part

Speaker 17: of this time we've done a single mistake. I just want to try to do it. They're

going to do it with it. It's not

Speaker 20: going to be a cut on what it was, a million dollars, because it was a million dollars

Dan, I think

Speaker 21: that's good

I see if I have no idea what you're saying. Oh, yeah. We're going to be running off. We're going to be running off. I think we're going to be running off. We're going to be running off. We're going to be running off. We're going to be running off

Speaker 22: We're going to be running off. We're going to be running

off

Speaker 23: We're going to be running off

We're going to be running off

Speaker 25: Housing is a

Speaker 26: human

Speaker 27 (higher-pitched voice): right

fight, fight, fight

Speaker 27 (higher-pitched voice): Housing is

Speaker 28: a human

Speaker 29: right

Speaker 30: FIGHT

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT

Speaker 33: Housing

Speaker 31 (higher-pitched voice): is a human

Speaker 34: right

fight, fight, fight

Speaker 34: to fight. Housing is a

human right. What do

Speaker 35: we want

Speaker 37: Housing

When do we want it? Now. What do we want

Speaker 36: Housing. When

do we want it? Now. What do we want? Social housing. When do we want it? Now. What do we

Speaker 38: want

Speaker 39: Social

housing. When do we want it

Speaker 39: Now. If we don't get it

we should have

Speaker 39: We

don't get it, we shut it down! Make some noise

Speaker 43 (higher-pitched voice): y'all! Si se puede

si se puede, si se puede, si se puede, si se puede

Speaker 45: Si se puede, si se puede, si se puede, si se puede, si

Speaker 46: se puede

Speaker 47: si se puede, si se puede, si se puede, si se puede, si se puede

Speaker 41: Yes we can do

Speaker 48: something

yes we can do something

Speaker 48: Yes, we can do

Speaker 49: something, yes, we can do something

Speaker 51: This is what

Speaker 53: democracy looks

Speaker 54: like. Show me what democracy looks like. Show me what

Speaker 56: democracy looks like! All the

Speaker 58: rent! All the rent

Speaker 59: All the rent is tuned and high! All the

rent! All the rents! All the rents tuned

Speaker 60: is

too damn high

Speaker 61: because the green

is, because the green is, all the red is too damn high. All the red, all the red, all the red, all the red is too damn high. All the red, all the red, all the red, all the red is too damn high

Speaker 68: Let's do it in Spanish. - In Spanish? - Yes! - Of course

Yes, of course

Speaker 5: Okay, do you start? - Yes

Speaker 69: I start. - You start, I follow you. - No, no, no. Don't be shy, we're trying to

Speaker 72: pass a

Speaker 73: lot here

Speaker 69: Let's go

Speaker 1: Vivienda social para todos

Vivienda social para todos! ¿Cuándo? ¡Ahora! ¿Qué queremos? ¡Vivienda social para

Speaker 74: todos! - When

When

Speaker 75: Five, five, five

Housing is a human right! Five, five, five! Housing is a human right! Five, five, five

Speaker 76: Housing is a human right

Well, I guess

Speaker 78: we're done here. Hey

Speaker 81: hey, ho, ho

Speaker 84: Landlord

Speaker 86: greed has got

Speaker 43 (higher-pitched voice): to go

Landlord

Speaker 43 (higher-pitched voice): Greedo's got to go, hey hey

Speaker 89: ho ho, Landlord Greedo's got

to go, hey hey, ho ho! Landlord Greedo's got to go, hey hey, ho ho! Landlord Greedo's got to go, hey hey, ho

Speaker 90: ho! Landlord Greedo's got to go, hey hey, ho ho! Landlord Greedo's got to go, hey hey, ho ho! Landlord Greedo's got to go, hey hey, ho ho

Speaker 92: Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord

Speaker 94: Greedo's got to go, hey hey

ho! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to go! Landlord Greedo's got to Thank you very much

Speaker 96: So

we're

Woman 97: here today because everyone deserves a safe, comfortable, affordable place to live. And without this, nothing in your life works. Not your family, not your education, not your health care, not anything. And a home is more than just four walls and a roof over your head. It is a source of stability and security. It's a place that you can make your own and take pride in. A home gives you the freedom and the opportunity to build the life that you want. But for many Americans this dream is out of reach. In more than 90% of U.S. counties minimum wage workers can't afford even a modest one-bedroom apartment. Working families in some communities in Minneapolis are bidding for homes against the world's biggest and wealthiest private financial firms and they're losing

Every

Woman 97: day, Americans are trying to figure out how to afford their lives. And millions of our friends and neighbors have a hard time finding and affording a place to rent, let alone putting the money together for a down payment to buy a home of their own. So how did we get here? Well

Woman 99: for decades, the United States has not invested enough in housing, in building housing. We have severely neglected public housing, and we have outsourced much of housing development to the private market

And

Woman 97: because of restrictive local zoning laws and rising construction costs, we haven't built nearly enough. Housing supply collapsed in the 2008 foreclosure crisis, and private equity firms and other big corporate interests moved in, and they were focused on delivering returns for their investors, not on solving the housing shortage. In Minneapolis and around the country, in Minnesota and around the country, investors with deep pockets started snatching up starter homes with all cash offers. And families are being outbid by mysterious buyers thousands of miles away. Big corporate landlords, they're raising rents and they're ignoring tenant calls to fix the leaks and take care of the pests. And

our

Woman 99: constituents are paying the price. And frankly, honestly, they cannot afford it anymore. There is something broken about our system when people who live in neighborhoods that they've lived in for years have to move away from friends and family and jobs because they can't find a place to live. And when teachers and firefighters and other essential workers can't afford to live in the communities that

Woman 97: they serve, that is just wrong. So we have a severe housing crisis in this country, and the private market cannot meet this moment on its own. Congress must act

So I am

Woman 97: grateful that Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have offered up detailed, comprehensive, serious plans to jumpstart home construction, to lower

Woman 99: housing costs and to go after big companies that are rigging the market against renters and homebuyers. Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and I have seen the same challenge and we have a plan to meet it with the

Homes Act. Our bill

Woman 99: lays out a new way to meet people's needs through social housing. Instead of treating real estate as a commodity in the speculative market, we would underwrite the construction of millions of new homes so that they can remain affordable for the long term. It's a public option to build homes either for rent or for home ownership so people can build equity. Our bill would establish a new development authority to finance and build millions of homes in big cities

and

Woman 99: small towns all over the country. Rent would be permanently affordable so as your income goes up or down you pay more or less but you don't have to move. Every home would be built to modern efficient standards which would lower utility bills and every home would be built to last by a high quality

union member. Our bill

Speaker 100 (higher-pitched voice): is a new model that levels the playing field for ordinary people who dream of a stable

Woman 99: delightful, affordable place to live. It's a new strategy, but it is a model that is working around the country, around the world, and it is rooted in the history and the traditions of the people in the regions that Alexandria and I represent. We know that housing looks a lot different in Bemidji, Minnesota than in the Bronx, and so a one-size-fits-all approach, it's not going to work. That's why our bill would task local and tribal governments, housing authorities, non-profits, and community land trusts like the Rondo Community Land Trust in St. Paul and one-roof community housing in Duluth, whom you'll hear from shortly. It tasks these trusted local organizations to develop homes that will blend seamlessly into the community and meet the needs of the people who live there

We

Woman 99: believe that housing is a human right, like food or health care. And a home, a shelter, is the oldest and most basic of human needs. The Homes Act will create a new option to make this right a reality for everyone. We cannot rely on the private market to do it alone. The Homes Act

Speaker 101: creates another way, a new way, to give millions of Americans a safe, dignified, affordable place to call home

Woman 97: Now

I'm so

Woman 97: excited and honored to welcome Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez to the podium. Congressman Ocasio-Cortez reached out to me several months ago and asked about collaborating on this project. It has been a fantastic experience to work with her and her incredible team. Thank you so much for your leadership and

Speaker 103 (higher-pitched voice): your great ideas and your good work. Please welcome Congresswoman

Ocasio-Cortez

Speaker 104: Thank you. Thank you so, so much. And

can we give

Speaker 105: another round of applause to Senator Smith for her incredible leadership and work here? It's

really

Speaker 106 (higher-pitched voice): so exciting, and I can't say how much of a pleasure it's been to work with you and under your leadership and with your

Speaker 107 (higher-pitched voice): office as well. It's just been so fantastic, and this is really the core of what it takes in order to get things done in Washington, to have not just bicameral support but support where

we can unite people

Speaker 107 (higher-pitched voice): across regions, backgrounds and cultures and states in order to legislate for the best of the American people. So thank you. So good afternoon

Speaker 108 (higher-pitched voice): everyone. How's everyone doing today? It's

a stunning day

Speaker 108 (higher-pitched voice): out here in Washington

Woman 109: and it's a perfect day to stand together and take action for housing as a human right. Today we are here to introduce a game-changing piece of legislation, the Homes Act, and I'm thrilled to be joined by Senator Tina Smith in co-leading this legislation. And I also want to take a moment to give

Woman 110: a special shout out to all of the amazing folks who made the journey on buses this morning and planes, trains, and automobiles. From the Bronx and Queens and Minnesota and every advocate in between. I'm just so incredibly

Woman 109: grateful because it is really your voices and your organizing and your effort building

Speaker 107 (higher-pitched voice): power, people power from the ground up that actually can build momentum to make things like this possible. So thank you. I want everyone here

Speaker 111 (higher-pitched voice): to imagine a not too distant future. Where you are able to wake up in your new home

One that

Speaker 111 (higher-pitched voice): is beautiful

Speaker 112: affordable, and perfect for raising

Speaker 113 (higher-pitched voice): or supporting your family. In this vision, the energy that's powering your home isn't dirty

And it's not

Woman 109: choking the air with pollutants or flaring up your kid's asthma. The water flowing from the taps is fresh and clean. And you don't have to worry about lead paint on the walls

The schools

Woman 109: in your community are excellent. And when you step outside, you find a vibrant playground where children are already

Woman 110: laughing and playing

Your kids

Woman 110: join them, forging connections and growing up in a strong, supportive community

And just

Woman 110: around the corner

Speaker 107 (higher-pitched voice): from that home

A

Speaker 107 (higher-pitched voice): community center is buzzing with activities where seniors are gardening or bird-watching, the community is learning to cook together and just celebrating the richness

of life

Woman 109: This thing isn't a distant dream, nor should

Woman 114: it be a luxury. This was the reality for so many families in America just a few

Speaker 115: decades ago

I

Woman 114: know that my parents, like many others, worked their entire lives to achieve a

Speaker 111 (higher-pitched voice): modest and stable life. And decades ago, they were able to scrounge and save to buy a home. It's unbelievable. Just a couple decades ago, they were able to purchase a small apartment in Parkchester for $45,000

It's

Woman 109: crazy, right

But in

Woman 109: the years since, the housing market has grown increasingly speculative and it got a lot tougher for working families across the country to find a decent home. Wall Street started to see houses as slot machines and started gambling on one of the most foundational parts of life for the American people. And when Wall Street lost, like in 2008, It was us, working people who had to pay the price, not the bankers who made the reckless bets in the first place. When I was in college and my dad passed from an unexpected cancer, my mom fought tooth and nail to keep our house. And by the time I graduated from college, we were on the edge of foreclosure. We had

Speaker 107 (higher-pitched voice): to sell our home before it was taken from us. leaving us at the mercy of investors and big banks who were just waiting for us to lose our foothold. I remember so clearly having, you know, being able to have a cup of tea or coffee at the table and watching bankers and investors roll up in cars taking pictures of our house

Speaker 116: before it was even taken, or before, while we were still living in it

And

Woman 109: plenty of other Americans can tell you that if you are a young family or just starting out and wanting to buy a home without generational wealth or help, or if you want to feel like you can rent a new place without fear of being priced out in a year or two, it can feel nearly impossible. This is not the American dream that we were promised. We are here today because that is the unfortunate reality for so many working

Speaker 117: Americans. And we are here today because another way is possible and we are here to make it

happen. In New York, the

Woman 114: average minimum wage worker would have to clock in 104 hours a week just to scrape by for a modest one bedroom apartment. 104 hours a week and what are they left with? A mere 64 hours to sleep, pick up

Woman 109: prescriptions, get their kids to school, cook a meal, and maybe find a moment to rest

Speaker 108 (higher-pitched voice): under the roof they work so hard to keep. If time is money, we are getting robbed. This country is staring down a full-blown housing crisis. A

Woman 109: crisis where affordable housing is slipping further out of reach, where nonprofit

Speaker 106 (higher-pitched voice): housing is scarce, and where Wall Street and corporate America's greed is perpetuating our destruction. More than half of American renters are spending more than 30% of their income on rent, more than ever before in U.S. history. Meanwhile

Woman 109: private equity and the 1% are vacuuming up our housing stock and squeezing out homeowners and renters alike. Nationwide, one-third of

Woman 114: all residential real estate purchases are carried out in all cash. All cash

In

Woman 114: Manhattan, over 50% of all residential purchases are carried out in all cash

Speaker 118: This simply isn't right

Speaker 113 (higher-pitched voice): This is crazy. But let me be clear, we do not have to live like this. We

Woman 109: need to put homes back in the hands of the people and reclaim the home as a basic human right, not a commodity for profit first. A home should be a sanctuary, a place of stability and security, not a source of endless stress. The Homes Act offers a real solution to the scale and severity of this crisis. This bill will transform housing in America by establishing a national housing development authority to acquire and develop real estate, creating and maintaining a stock of permanent

Speaker 107 (higher-pitched voice): affordable housing. This bill recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to the housing crisis and it is aimed to uplift the diverse set of living, breathing communities that working Americans have been building for decades. From public housing in places like New York and Puerto

Woman 109: Rico, to rural housing cooperatives in the Midwest, to community land trusts and tenants unions in California, any home that's built for people not profit will be able to benefit from this authority in its first decade the homes act will invest 300 billion dollars into our communities funding over 1 million new housing units over 850 000 of those units will be for low and extremely low income families this includes both single and multi-family housing with strong tenant protections There has been a lot of

Speaker 108 (higher-pitched voice): talk about building new housing in this country, but too often we don't talk about who will be building that new housing

Speaker 120: This bill

Speaker 108 (higher-pitched voice): is about building good union jobs just as much as it is about building affordable

Woman 110: homes. Every year, this bill will put over 150,000 Americans to work in good union jobs every year to build affordable housing. From construction to

Woman 114: operation to maintenance, this bill will generate more than 400,000 good-paying jobs across industries every year

And we know

Woman 114: this plan is possible because we have

Woman 109: done it before. During the New Deal, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created a development authority much like the one we are proposing today. Folks may not be familiar with this history, but in New York, FDR's visionary program is still all around us

His

Woman 109: authority built the first public housing in this country, including

Woman 110: the Williamsburg Houses in Brooklyn, and it went on to inspire communities like Co-op City in the Bronx and

Woman 109: Elecchester in Queens that are still thriving today. So to our detractors, we say this plan is not only necessary, it is reasoned, it is rational, and it is right

It

Speaker 107 (higher-pitched voice): is rooted in the American dream, in the fundamental idea that everyone deserves a place to call home. Thank you. Thank

Speaker 100 (higher-pitched voice): you. Next, I would like to welcome to the podium Noah Hobbs, who is policy director at One Roof Community Housing in Duluth. Welcome, Noah

Thank

Speaker 121: you. Thank you, Senator Smith and Representative Ocasio-Cortez, for introducing this. Like Senator Smith said

Speaker 122: I'm Noah Hobbs. I'm the policy director at One Roof Community Housing. We are a multifamily, single-family, affordable housing developer out of Duluth, Minnesota, which is a Rust Belt port town of about 86,000 people. But we do work that goes up to Grand Marais, Grand Rapids, Two Harbors, Proctor, and Cloquet. So the northeastern part of Minnesota is our service region. So outside of Duluth, it's not a lot of folks living there. And so. So we've done 350 community land trust homes and also about 220 resales, so we've helped about 600 families achieve the American dream through home ownership, and then we've also redeveloped and developed about 330 units of a multi-family affordable housing all across northeastern Minnesota, so folks that aren't ready for home ownership yet can still have an affordable place to call home. One thing that we see in greater Minnesota is the fact that a two-by-four costs the same, whether near Duluth, Grand Rapids, New York, Milwaukee, or Chicago. And we also have lower incomes in greater Minnesota and greater America, and so there's an even greater mismatch of what that cost of home is and the cost to build because that doesn't come down with the cost of goods. Also, municipalities, smaller municipalities in greater Minnesota, smaller counties don't have staff, city staff or county staff, that are dedicated or knowledgeable enough to pull off affordable housing projects or they're dealing with all the other issues that face their communities and they can't do this because they're staffs of two, four, six, or eight and they're unable to do this issue. financing is another huge issue in greater minnesota we don't have as many philanthropic uh you know funders foundations uh as more uh urban areas do um and financing is harder to come from we don't have as large financial institutions that are willing to provide the capital let alone take the risk so this would fill a huge need uh in that and so also the biggest thing is this is probably the first outside of 2007 with the housing market collapse and with the american rescue plan act the single investment in housing in the past 30 years and so one roof is incredibly excited I'm excited. to endorse

it and

Speaker 122: again, thanks to Senator Smith and Representative Ocasio-Cortez

Speaker 123: Thank you. Thank you so much, Noah. That's great. Thank

you

Speaker 100 (higher-pitched voice): Now please join me in welcoming

Woman 97: Makia Griffin, who is Executive Director of the Rondo Community Land Trust in St. Paul

Minnesota. Thank

Speaker 124: you, everyone, and thank you so much to Senator Smith and Representative Ocasio-Cortez. As stated

Speaker 125 (higher-pitched voice): I am a proud daughter and byproduct of the Rondo community in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Rondo community in St. Paul, Minnesota is the largest black community in the state at one point. And it was devastated with the influx of infrastructure, Highway 94. And that was back in the 50s. And the community has still suffered through, even through that, still suffered through continued

Woman 126: disinvestment or investment in the community, which really sometime back in the 80s, 30 years ago, community members got together and said, We need to figure out how do we preserve affordable housing

in the

Woman 126: community and they landed on the community land trust as a sure model to be able to not only hold down the ability for home ownership over the long term but also community and culture. I always like to start by saying that I don't know how many of you know this but the community

Speaker 127: land trust movement itself was created through

the black

Speaker 127: experience through the

Speaker 128: civil rights movement

Woman 126: When political violence

told the

Woman 126: Sherrards, we need to do something different. And taking and owning community land together and benefiting from its economic benefits above together, weathering the ups and downs in communities together is exactly what this bill will be able to continue to forward and make larger. That work that was so pivotal back in the 60s actually has propagated community land trusts across this nation and internationally. I am so proud today to stand here not only representing the very tall, wide shoes and tall shoulders I have to stand on in my own community as a daughter of Rondo, And while I do have the privilege of supporting affordable home ownership across a county in the city of St. Paul and Ramsey County in Minnesota, I do have that weight and responsibility of ensuring that my community, Rondo, also has what it needs. I'd also like to state we were the first community land trust in the state of Minnesota. We were also the first community land trust in the state of Minnesota to apply the community land trust movement to commercial

Woman 129: uses

This is all

Woman 129: about, right? This is all about how do we want to see our communities thrive and prosper. This is about

Woman 126: coming together and creating people power this is about creating the communities that communities want to see and this bill is so important to be able to give choice and autonomy to communities whether they want to own a community land trust home whether they want to own a community land trust home that is on community land trusted land that's a that's a cooperative there's so many things that we can do to provide home ownership opportunities to provide safe and affordable rental opportunities and to be able to good people. the time that they need in order to make themselves whole and get along their own economic continuum and if we are not invested in the people of today we have no hope for for our little ones that are coming up it's important it's so important that we take the profit out of housing and make and ensure that it benefits

to

Speaker 124: everyone that needs to have a home. Thank you again for all the work that is being done today

Thank you

Speaker 103 (higher-pitched voice): very much. Next we have the incredible Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts

Good afternoon

Speaker 131: everyone

Good

Speaker 132: afternoon, family. And indeed, not only are we movement family, but we are one human family. And that's what brings us all to

Woman 133: this moment, because we recognize that we're all tied to one another

I want to

Woman 133: begin by thanking my sister in service, Representative Ocasio-Cortez. Thank you for your indefatigable, visionary leadership

and

Woman 133: housing justice and so on, so many other issues of consequence. And I would share those same compliments to Senator Smith. Thank you for both of them, for their leadership and for convening us today to introduce this critical and necessary legislation, the

Speaker 134: Homes Act. The Homes Act

Everyone should

Speaker 135: have a home. not just shelter, not be warehoused

Woman 133: a place of belonging, the HOMES Act. I want to express my gratitude also to Aisha Hernandez, Makiya Griffin, Noah Hobbs for being here today and sharing your stories as I've said so often. I look forward to a day where people do not have to weaponize their lived experiences in order to compel action from their government, but I'm grateful for those every time they do it

Every

Woman 133: time I return home to my district, the Massachusetts 7th, in every room I'm in one issue comes up over and over again. Whether I'm in Roxbury or Cambridge, whether I'm in Chelsea or Randolph, and that issue is housing. Today, I'm thinking about the single parent, like the household I grew up in, working two minimum

wage jobs

Woman 133: Sleeping in their car because rent has skyrocketed beyond their reach. I'm thinking about the veteran who served our country only to be left to battle their PTSD on the streets because they can't find a place to call home

I'm thinking

Woman 136: of the elderly couple who lived in their community for decades pushed out by gentrification

Woman 133: and left to watch

as

Woman 133: luxury condos are built over the homes they raise their children in. These stories are an indictment

Woman 136: of the nationwide failure to ensure that housing, a fundamental human right, is accessible to

all

Speaker 137: The rent is just

too damn high

Woman 136: But let me be clear. This housing crisis is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made catastrophe. Born from decades of repeatedly prioritizing profits

Woman 133: over people. You know, very often, progressives in our righteous indignation are misunderstood or some people give us a bad rap for being too

Woman 136: bold, too urgent. too aspirational, too ambitious. Well, I'm all right with being audacious enough to believe that housing is a human right

Woman 129: and everyone deserves a home. I will be on that side of

history

Woman 136: The Homes Act is more than just legislation. It is a lifeline. It's a visionary solution that recognizes housing is a public good, a simple truth. This bill would create more than 400,000 jobs, build and preserve 1.25 million housing units that are actually affordable. When a child has a stable home, they can focus on their education. When parents are burdened by crushing rent, they can invest in their

Woman 129: family's future. When seniors age in place, they can remain vital members of the communities they help to build. Housing is a

public good. And

Woman 129: this bill is about more

Woman 136: than just bricks and mortar. It's about righting the wrongs of racist housing policies that excluded communities of color for decades. We can create, I'm just audacious, ambitious, and aspirational enough to believe

Woman 129: that we can create a society where everyone is safe, has access to safe, stable, and affordable housing

It's not

Woman 129: just a right, but a reality for all

Woman 133: Another world is possible, and we are building it together

Our

Speaker 138: last

Speaker 139: speaker

Woman 97: today is Ayesha Hernandez with the Coalition to Save Affordable Housing at Co-op City

Good evening

Speaker 140 (higher-pitched voice): everyone

My

Speaker 140 (higher-pitched voice): name is Aisha Hernandez. I've been living in Co-op City for about eight years. I was

sorry I got

Speaker 140 (higher-pitched voice): confused. Let me start again. Okay, good afternoon. My name is Aisha Hernandez Ahmed. I'm a resident and co-owner of my home in Co-op City for

the

Woman 141: last eight years. Before living in Co-op City, I was a renter paying $3,000 a month and $6,000 in utilities. Co-operative housing gave me the pathway to home ownership and sustainable cost of living. Now I live in a two bedroom apartment with a monthly maintenance for about $1,400. It isn't always smooth in crop

city

Woman 141: Yes. A few years ago, my neighbors and I got together and formed the coalition to save affordable housing to make sure that our housing stays affordable, that our management is serving in the best interest of co-owners and fight for any attempt of any corporate takeover of co-op city. We have done this because we're co-owners and we're not in the whims of corporate landlords. Which is why I'm here today in support of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Smith to support the Homes Act bill. We're in the midst of a national housing crisis and I want my fellow Americans from New York to California to enjoy the same access and safe, affordable housing that Corp has given me

We

Woman 141: have a lot of work to do, and this bill, we must make sure that it takes it. So let's get it done

Thank you

Speaker 142: so much

Woman 97: Thank

you so much to

Woman 97: all of our speakers. And now we would be happy to take a

Speaker 143: few questions from the press if anybody has any questions

Speaker 144: We're going to

Speaker 143: just take questions from the press for now, Joel. Thank you. Okay. Thank you

Speaker 145: Okay. Great

Speaker 146: Thanks, everyone. Thank you, everyone. Thank you, everyone

Fight

Speaker 147 (higher-pitched voice): Fight! Fight! Possing is a human right

Fight! Fight

Speaker 147 (higher-pitched voice): Fight!" "Fight! Fight! Fight! Possing

is a human right

Speaker 147 (higher-pitched voice): Fight! Possing

is a human right