Housing, Transit, and Infrastructure
Access to safe, stable, and affordable housing is essential for achieving economic justice for all Americans. The rapid rise of rents and home prices has made owning and renting out of reach for too many people in Illinois’ 11th District. This crisis has been exacerbated by exploitative lobbying groups like the National Association of Realtors (NAR), which has lobbied politicians like Bill Foster to turn a blind eye to their practices. In fact, a federal court recently fined the NAR $2 billion for exploiting home sellers and buyers. Bill Foster, who serves on the House Financial Services Oversight Committee tasked with conducting oversight on such exploitative practices, has meanwhile accepted $79,000 in campaign donations from the NAR, including several thousand shortly after the NAR was fined.
Housing will only become affordable once we stop allowing billion-dollar corporations to influence politicians to overlook the housing crisis. To address this urgent issue, we must enact policies that prioritize the needs of long-term residents over transient real estate profits, including banning private equity firms from purchasing homes and turning them into speculative investments.
In Congress, Qasim will fight to:
- End the influence of NAR and NAA by rejecting all corporate campaign donations.
- Build new truly affordable housing units in the district over the next 5 years.
- Implement rent control and just cause eviction protections.
- Provide down payment assistance and lower mortgage rates for first-time home buyers.
- Hold large corporate landlords accountable for neglecting infrastructure repairs
- Stimulate the growth of tenant organizations that advocate for tenant rights.
Transit
The residents of our district deserve a transit system that efficiently and sustainably connects them to jobs, services, and communities across the district and greater Chicagoland and Northern Illinois. This crisis particularly harms low-income communities and communities of color. A recent study found that Latino Americans in the collared counties spend 24% of their take-home income on transportation. This is unsustainable. Moreover, further development and infrastructure projects must remedy historical inequities and not further displace low-income communities or communities of color, as was done during the US Interstate system expansion.
In Congress, Qasim will fight to:
- Make all public transit in the district free at the point of use to reduce transportation costs for working families.
- Provide door-to-door and on-call transportation systems for seniors and people with disabilities.
- Expand bus and rail routes to underserved neighborhoods to ensure all members of the district have access to the jobs, services, and communities they need to thrive.
- Invest in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure for local trips to reduce car dependence, congestion, and emissions.
- Adopt a Vision Zero plan to eliminate traffic-related deaths and severe injuries from our transportation system through safer street design.
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is critical to stimulating our economy, addressing the climate crisis, and boosting public health. The Infrastructure Bill passed under President Biden has already served as a landmark piece of legislation to improve America’s crumbling infrastructure. However, we must continue to work diligently to address our ongoing future infrastructure needs. These projects must directly benefit all residents, including marginalized groups. Qasim will fight for a Vision Zero plan to decrease traffic-related deaths and embrace complete streets designed for people of all ages and abilities.
In Congress, Qasim will fight to:
- Repair and replace aging roads, bridges, water mains, and broadband lines with American Union labor
- Ensure major infrastructure projects using American union labor, like new rail lines or bridges, come with legitimate community benefit agreements, including affordable housing and living wages that ensure residents can live in the neighborhoods they work in.
- Retrofit public buildings and housing to be more energy efficient and resilient against extreme climate events, reducing costs over the long run.
- Work diligently to allocate resources from the Infrastructure Bill into IL-11, including the rapid expansion of last-mile broadband to ensure our rural communities have the resources they need to thrive.