Increasing housing costs force many of our residents to choose between paying the rent and paying for food or health care. Affordable housing is housing that a household can pay for, while still having money left over for other necessities like food, transportation, and health care. That means that what’s considered “affordable” depends on a household’s income.

The federal government typically defines housing as affordable when it consumes no more than 30 percent of a household’s income. So, who needs affordable housing? Everyone! From high-income earners to hourly wage workers, to people experiencing homelessness, and everyone in between. 

Though Norristown does not have nearly enough resources to dramatically improve our quality of life or free businesses of financial hardship, Montgomery County has ample capacity to combat public health threats by diminishing housing insecurity. Over the last few years, we’ve learned that health is strongly linked to unstable housing.

For that reason, I will fight to prioritize tenant rights and affordable housing in Norristown. I will build stronger neighborhoods by increasing access to affordable housing, truly addressing blighted and abandoned property in town, and adding safeguards to ensure that both homeowners and renters are safe and stable in our communities.