Assembly District 50 candidate Jon Aleckson unveiled his new housing affordability plan Sunday at a campaign picnic in Village Park in New Glarus. Aleckson addressed what his campaign calls a crisis hitting Wisconsin families at both ends — young people who can’t get into a home and seniors who can no longer afford to stay in one.

“We have a housing crisis for young adults trying to afford their first home and seniors trying to hang on to the home they earned over their lifetime. To Restore Wisconsin, we need to restore the dream and reality of home ownership and hope for all Wisconsinites,” Aleckson said.

Housing should be something affordable to get into when people are young, and afford to stay in when they are old, he told the crowd.

“Right now, it’s failing on both ends. The American Dream has to be reachable and retainable. This is part of our Restore Wisconsin approach,” Aleckson said.

The announcement comes one week after Congress passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act on a bipartisan vote of 358 to 32 in the House and 85 to 5 in the Senate. President Trump has not signed the bill. Aleckson said he will call on Wisconsin to move quickly to take advantage of what’s in it.

The federal bill cuts red tape for homebuilders, creates grant programs for pre-approved housing designs so local governments spend less time on approvals, reduces the cost of manufactured homes and makes small-dollar mortgages easier to get, and caps the number of single-family homes large corporate investors — like hedge funds — can own at 350.

Aleckson said he will commit to making sure Green and Dane County communities like Monroe and Oregon are first in line for federal grant dollars once the bill is signed.