“Affordable housing is like musical chairs,” as they say in advocacy circles.
Klyde, a Minneapolis resident in his early 30s, has been playing this game for most of his life. He lives with chronic pain and a physical disability, and has spent years “working way more hours than my body could keep up with just to afford the cost of living.” It’s an exhausting cycle, finding employment for stretches after setbacks. Hospitalization plus recovery time has cost him his job more than once.
Klyde applied for disability benefits just before the pandemic, but had to wait about two years for approval. Still, even with benefits, “I typically end up going without the care I’m supposed to get because I have to prioritize rent,” he says…