Picture by Frank Franklin II / AP FILE PHOTO
On Tuesday, November 12, Democratic congresswoman Yvette Clarke, introduced the Affordable Housing and Area Median Income Fairness Act, which has the aim of supporting affordable housing in NYC (and other big cities in the US) by correcting current income differences and lowering rental prices of existing and new housing units.
Clarke mentioned the problematic high rental costs for many Americans in urban areas, and the lack of affordable housing. She added that when she had a meeting with residents of Brooklyn, they unanimously spoke about the issue of these high costs in their neighborhood. Clarke is of the opinion that the growth of a city should not be a reason for the rise of unaffordable houses and exclude medium or low-income families. (Our Time Press, 2019)
The Area Median Income (AMI) is an income figure that determines which low- and middle incomes are eligible for affordable housing. The calculations of the AMI in the counties of the country are done annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In the last few years, a rise of AMI levels everywhere have pushed the low and middle-income communities further away, a growing gap which excludes them from social housing programs. The Affordable Housing and Area Median Income Fairness Act has the aim of closing this gap and control the prices of increased rents over the years. (Etherington, 2019)