Antonio grew up in a Section 8 apartment in Williamsburg. That federally subsidized, affordable home kept his family in the neighborhood and close to good schools, transit, and the strong community that shaped him. But today, New York City families are facing a dire housing crisis. Rents are rising faster than incomes, more of every paycheck goes toward housing, and working class people are being pushed out of the neighborhoods that anchor them. The stability Antonio’s family had is out of reach for many. 

There are many forces behind NYC’s housing crisis, and Antonio has fought at the local level to address them: fighting for Mandatory Inclusionary Housing as a Council Member and pushing to build new homes in the neighborhoods that have shut out new housing for decades as Borough President. 

But one core problem must be addressed: the federal government stopped building affordable housing decades ago and does not fund rental assistance at the scale that families need.

In Congress, Antonio will fight to bring the federal government back into the affordable housing equation. 

That means advocating for a dramatic expansion in rental assistance so that the families who qualify for help receive help. And it means building affordable housing again: repairing NYCHA, repealing the Faircloth Amendment, and supporting new social housing models that are financially sustainable.

Antonio will crack down on Wall Street speculators that are buying up housing and making it unaffordable and work to build more housing of all kinds, so that stable, affordable housing is in reach for families of all sizes at all stages of life.