As Housing Costs Skyrocket, Voters and Advocates Demand Action to Keep Families Housed
Advocates are calling on municipal leaders in Los Angeles to adopt a living wage of $30 an hour for some workers to help fight the rising tide of housing instability and homelessness.
Affordability and the cost of living have been two of Americans’ greatest concerns for the past several years, yet lawmakers have seemingly done little to address the issue. States like California have attempted to surge housing production in hopes of providing more affordable options, but those policies have not yet borne fruit.
Meanwhile, many hourly workers are struggling to make ends meet. Estimates from Harvard University show that about half of renters across the U.S. are rent burdened, meaning they pay more than the recommended 30% of their income on rent and utilities. That puts them at heightened risk of becoming homeless as they have fewer dollars budgeted to cover necessities like food and medicine, or an emergency doctor’s visit…