Good morning. Thank you to the committee for the opportunity to speak. My name is Tasnim Tanveer. I am a volunteer member of Abundant Housing Illinois, a pro-housing advocacy group with over 530 members. And I am a mom living in Chicago.
I am speaking today to urge you to pass the BUILD plan because I want Illinois to be a welcoming place for immigrants and for anyone who wants to pursue their dreams. My parents came to the U.S. from Bangladesh in the 1970s, and they spent several years on a small budget while they studied for their doctorates in L.A. They had my brother at that time and raised him in an apartment. After they graduated, my father was able to find a position at a university, purchase a house, and have me. They achieved the American Dream.
It's hard to imagine that being possible today, with housing costs in areas near universities rising out of reach for new parents. As people have to move farther and farther away from their jobs and schools in order to find affordable homes, they start having to spend more on transportation, spending more time away from their families commuting.The BUILD plan would allow for more housing to be built in areas that are close to jobs and transit, something that can unlock so much time and money for families.
Some people believe that single-family houses are the only homes that people want or need, and that legalizing other homes is relegating people to a lower standard of living. I am here to give witness that not everyone is able to or wants to own a single-family home right away. My parents didn’t come here with savings. When my son graduates from college, I hope he will be able to come back to where my husband and I live, that there are affordable options for our family to stay close together. People go through many different stages of their lives, and huge single-family homes aren't always the best option for them. The BUILD plan unlocks options that work for the many different lifestyles and budgets of Illinoisans.
In Illinois, we take pride in protecting peoples’ rights against the cruelty of this federal administration, especially the rights of immigrants to live peacefully in our communities. We say that immigrants are welcome here, but if we don’t take steps to ease the housing shortage and make homes affordable, we are welcoming in name only. Mayors against the BUILD plan are fighting for the ability to control who lives in their city, and they have consistently prioritized sky-high home values above welcoming new residents. Zoning was designed to exclude people, and that is what it is doing.
I don’t want immigrants to have to choose between a state where they can’t afford rent or a state that will serve them up on a silver platter to ICE. That is not a real choice. We know from study after study, from the other states that have taken the lead, that allowing for more housing to be built reduces rents and makes it easier for people to buy homes, so let’s do that.