Presidential Candidates Respond to Questions on Housing, Homelessness:

While the issues of housing and homelessness failed to surface in any of the presidential debates, the Bush-Cheney 04 and Kerry-Edwards 04 Campaigns recently submitted written answers to a series of questions posed by the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF). The questions probed the candidates' positions on:

* the availability of affordable housing;
* strategies to address homelessness;
* proposed changes to Section 8 and other federal housing programs;
* housing-based strategies to address other domestic needs (education, health, etc.);
* housing and community development as part of a broader revitalization plan;
* production of affordable housing as part of an economic stimulus package;
* Federal minimum wage policy; and
* eliminating housing discrimination and other civil rights violations.

The complete questionnaire including the full responses by each of the Bush-Cheney 04 and Kerry-Edwards 04 Campaigns is available online here.

Shorter Kerry - Edwards: National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act, Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), increasing the amount of affordable housing including adequately funding Section 8 vouchers.

Shorter Bush - Cheney: Opportunity Zones, tax credits.