We must address the urgent homelessness and affordable housing crises. We have an immediate need for thousands of additional units of affordable and workforce housing to keep up with the population demand. Answering this along with homelessness are my top priorities. Affordable housing, including utilities, should cost no more than 30% of a person’s gross income. And many Angelenos spend well over half their wages to keep a roof over their heads, which is not sustainable because it blocks our communities from building wealth. As a result, people are subsisting instead of thriving. We need to create tens of thousands of units of affordable and workforce housing in jobs centers and near transportation hubs in order to meet the needs of our diverse and growing population. 

Marisa has been part of the leadership team that is helping to bring to fruition:

• more than 3,700 units of affordable and homeless housing.
• securing more than $94 million in HHH homeless housing projects. 
• $103.6 million in City-funded affordable housing projects.
• worked with service providers and developers to master-lease existing blocks of rental units. This added hundreds of new beds, and this is an area the new Mayor is expanding dramatically.

So many Angelenos work hard but still can not afford to live in this City. We need to make the dream of homeownership achievable again for Angelenos and I will make this my priority.