The Homes Guarantee, introduced earlier this month by the People?s Action Coalition, would invest hundreds of billions of dollars in housing infrastructure and radically restructure the way the housing market works.  | Shutterstock

People?s Action progressive political coalition wants to create a ?public option? for green, affordable housing The depths of the nation?s affordable housing crisis have spurred Democratic candidates to propose ambitious plans to make it easier to pay for a place to live. A national progressive coalition wants to go one step further and make it not just easier, but a right.
The Homes Guarantee, introduced earlier this month by the People?s Action Coalition, a network representing roughly one million progressive activists in groups spanning 30 states, would invest billions of dollars in housing infrastructure and radically restructure the way the housing market works, funded in part by both a $1 trillion investment in the Housing Trust Fund and a $1 trillion bond offering. Along with proposals by leading Democratic primary contenders, most notably Sen. Bernie Sanders?s just-announced $2.5 trillion plan, the Homes Guarantee shows the energy and ambition coursing through left-wing circles around rebuilding and reimagining U.S. housing policy. It also sets a high bar for any future candidate-backed plans.
?The problem is simple: bankers, developers, and landlords have been allowed to charge our families more and more and provide us wit...