Target: Mike Johnson, Speaker of U.S. House of Representatives
Goal: Endorse proposal that could provide better public housing options for struggling Americans.
Affordable housing, the climate crisis, and public health are among the most relevant and pressing issues in America today. A promising new proposal from Congress could potentially provide needed relief on all these fronts. The Green New Deal for Public Housing would make committed investments in public housing units. It would retrofit old and decaying units, removing dangerous elements like lead, while making the homes more energy efficient. Newly built homes would receive the same prioritization and include only appliances that do not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
Estimates predict that electrifying and decarbonizing these units could lead to annual carbon emissions reductions of nearly six million metric tons: the same impact as one million automobiles make. Deteriorating housing units are also repositories for outdated and dangerous materials that inordinately impact the health of low-income communities. In addition to bettering health, residents would also likely benefit from energy cost savings of as much as 70 percent due to the more efficient units.
And perhaps most consequentially, investing in the chronically underfunded (to the tune of over seven million lacking units) public housing market would open up more opportunities for half a million-plus Americans who are homeless, as well as the many more Americans who cannot afford decent housing. Sign the petition below to support an effort that could tackle a trio of urgent needs.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker Johnson,
While America’s two major parties may not agree on much, they can likely agree that America is facing an affordable housing crisis, immense public health challenges, and economic chaos wrought by increasingly hostile weather and climate patterns. It would be easy for many of your colleagues to retreat to their respective corners and cast aspersions and dismissals on the Green New Deal for Public Housing. But what would that approach actually accomplish for the average American who is weathering the brunt of these challenges?
Please actually listen to the proposal and its ambitions to address the loss of one-quarter of public housing units to privatization, the continued maintenance backlog of existing units, the chronic health conditions prevalent in residents of these units, and the soaring energy costs compounded by outdated and inefficient housing materials. Work together with all your colleagues to make this proposal a winning reality for every American.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Tedder
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