These 7 Charts Show Why the Rent Is Too Damn High…and what can be done about it. by Erika Eichelberger and AJ Vicens.
Nothing really compares to a Mother Jones article when they get into full voice. 😉
For example:
More Americans than ever before are unable to afford rent. Here’s a look at why the rent is too damn high and what can be done about it.
Part of the problem has to do with simple supply and demand. Millions of Americans lost their homes during the foreclosure crisis, and many of those folks flooded into the rental market. In 2004, 31 percent of US households were renters, according to HUD. Today that number is 35 percent. “With more people trying to get into same number of units you get an incredible pressure on prices,” says Shaun Donovan*, the former secretary of housing and urban development for the Obama administration.
If you are interested in a data set to crunch on a current public policy issue, the problem of affordable housing is a good as any. All the data cited in this article is available for downloading.
It would take more data mining but identifying those who benefit from a tight rental market versus those who will profit from public housing assistance, such as construction and rental management agencies would make an interesting exercise when compared to political donations and support.
Housing assistance does benefit people being oppressed by high rent but others benefit as well. If you would like to pursue that question, ping me. I have some ideas on where to look for evidence.