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GUESTS: David Robinson, Director, Action Research Department SAJE (Strategic Action for a Just Economy) Sheila Crowley, President for National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)

As the nation’s housing crisis continues, congressional lawmakers are considering various bills addressing the problem. On Wednesday, a House Committee approved a plan that would give first-time low income prospective buyers tax credits while seeking to finance the construction of affordable rental housing. A Senate version passed just yesterday, opposed by the Bush Administration calls for billions in corporate tax breaks and some assistance for homeowners. As congressional solutions are critiqued for not providing enough help to homeowners, a new study called “The Cost of Maintaining Home Ownership in the Current Crisis,” calls for government-guaranteed mortgages for existing homeowners in cities where the cost of owning and renting are similar. For cities like Los Angeles, where negative equity shortfalls are expected to be around $277,000, affordable rental options are deemed essential. Locally, the housing crisis is expected to translate into gentrification. For example, LA’s Figueroa Corridor is being redeveloped at the expense of local communities. The local group, Strategic Action for a Just Economy, or SAJE, is responding in a new Figueroa anti-gentrification campaign.

For more information visit www.nlihc.org and www.saje.net.