The Green Party believes that decent housing is a fundamental human right. Therefore, the Green Party strongly encourages the proper regulation of the housing market as well as the wide expansion of public housing to meet this goal. One of the first steps to work toward this goal is to curtail the hoarding of housing stock by wealthy speculators and developers.  One of the ways this can be achieved is by regulating against the owning and managing of housing as short term rentals by absentee owners.  To this end, the Green Party should stand with and endorse this multi-group effort toward this shared goal by adding our statement in support.

The Green Party platform explicitly proclaims that decent housing is a fundamental human right, regardless of ability to pay for this basic necessity of life.  The Green Party is the only significant political party in the US to advocate for this. Therefore, the Green Party unequivocally fights for the sufficient regulation of the private housing market and expansion of public housing to meet this goal without any delay.  One of the first steps to work toward this goal is to curtail the hoarding of housing stock by wealthy speculators and developers.  One of the many necessary legislative actions that must be instituted to achieve this goal is to regulate against the owning and managing of housing as short term rentals by absentee owners.  Not only does this burgeoning practice significantly limit the availability of housing, thereby driving up its cost for all of us, while leaving many without a home, it undermines community cohesion and resilience by making significant portions of the population of neighborhoods temporary passersbys with little to no stake in the local community.  To this end, the Green Party of Kansas City stands with all like minded people and organizations in our community to advocate for the elimination of this blight on our neighborhoods.

Approved by the General Membership on Thursday, September 1, 2022.