1) Campaign Email - matthew@robertpetersforcongress.com
2) Your Platform: Link to your website about housing - https://www.robertpetersforcongress.com/issues/issue-2
3) Your Community: Is your district suffering from a housing shortage?
Yes. Like much of the country, my district is grappling with a housing shortage that’s pushing working families, young people, and seniors to the brink. Rent is skyrocketing faster than wages, and decades of underinvestment and exclusionary zoning have left us with too few homes people can afford.
4) Your Record: Are there pro-housing policies or specific housing developments you have supported in the past that you would like to highlight?
In the Senate, I worked to pass an expansion of the Senior Property Tax Freeze so seniors and low-income families can afford to stay in their homes. I am the chief sponsor of legislation creating the Build Illinois Homes tax credit, a proposal to join over two dozen other states in creating a state credit to pair with the federal Low-Income Housing Tax credit that would enable the state to build thousands of additional affordable rental units every year while creating jobs and drawing down additional federal tax credits we’re currently leaving on the table.
5) What are the primary hurdles facing building new housing in Illinois, and what are the best ways to resolve them?
Illinois faces bureaucratic bottlenecks, outdated zoning laws, and a shortage of public investment in affordable housing. The best solutions include modernizing zoning to allow more multifamily homes, streamlining permitting, and dramatically increasing state and federal funding to build homes working people can all afford.
6) If elected, what kind of policies would you propose or support at the federal level to increase housing production, including using federal preemption?
I would support a major federal social-housing program paired with incentives for localities to eliminate exclusionary zoning that blocks apartments, mixed-use projects, and transit-oriented development. If necessary, I would be open to targeted federal preemption where local restrictions are perpetuating housing scarcity, segregation, or environmental harm.
7) What is your position on the ROAD to Housing Act?
The ROAD to Housing Act is a step forward because it pushes jurisdictions toward zoning reforms that enable more homes near transit and jobs. I support it, provided we ensure these reforms are paired with affordability requirements, anti-displacement protections, and investments that uplift working-class communities.
8) The Build Now Act creates a carrot-and-stick system to modestly reallocate CDBG grants from high-cost-of-living municipalities that are blocking new housing to those that are facilitating it. Do you support tying federal infrastructure, housing, or transportation funds to local zoning and permitting reform? Why or why not?
Federal dollars should not subsidize local governments that are actively blocking the homes Americans desperately need. Conditioning funds on fair, inclusionary zoning ensures that communities benefiting from federal investments are also doing their part to increase housing supply and reduce segregation.
9) When it comes to increasing housing supply, what is the correct balance between local control and federal preemption?
Local voices matter, but they cannot be used as a shield for exclusionary practices that deepen inequality. The federal government should preempt only when local rules perpetually block needed housing, particularly near transit and job centers, while otherwise supporting community-driven planning.
10) Would you support a change to the allocation of Department of Transportation funding between public transportation and highways? What would be the optimal allocation between the two?
Our current highway-centric approach worsens pollution and increases housing scarcity. We should direct more funding toward public transit and sustainable infrastructure that connects people to opportunity, especially in communities in IL-02 that have experienced decades of disinvestment. In Springfield, I was heavily involved in the recent NITA transit bill to fund the transit we need and deserve and fighting to preserve vital provisions that will create equitable transit-oriented development.
11) Other than CDBG grants, what are some other enforcement mechanisms the federal government can use to ensure state and local governments are building enough new homes to reverse the national housing shortage? How would you support these mechanisms?
The federal government can condition transportation grants, low-income housing tax credits, and competitive federal infrastructure funds on demonstrated progress toward housing production goals. I’d support these mechanisms alongside transparency requirements and public dashboards so communities can clearly see which jurisdictions are making progress.
