In our current economic landscape, a pressing ethical concern emerges from the widening chasm between escalating rental expenses and stagnant wages. This discrepancy, often disregarded, holds ethical implications for individuals, families, and communities. This essay seeks to illuminate this issue from various standpoints, encompassing perspectives from tenants, landlords, economists, and policymakers ..read more

Maria Hernandez lives in San Diego, California, where she has been part of the statewide Residents United Network (RUN) for 10 years. She now serves as the organization’s steering committee member representing San Diego. Marsh Santoro lives in Fairview, Oregon, and leads the Resident Advisory Committee for her building complex. Marsh is also a member ..read more

How are tenants involved in NLIHC’s fight for housing justice? A better question is: how are tenants not involved? In our last post, tenant advocate Miracle Fletcher wrote about her experience attending NLIHC’s second annual Collective Retreat at the Resora in Albany, Georgia, last October. Made up of tenant leaders from around the country, the ..read more

By Miracle Fletcher                                                                             NLIHC convened its second annual Collective Retreat on October 6-9 in Albany, Georgia. This year, NLIHC staff and members of ..read more

In our last On the Home Front blog post, we interviewed tenant-advocate Sandra Barksdale about her experience advocating for safe and healthy living conditions for tenants at her apartment complex in Virginia. Among other things, Sandra has focused on establishing tenant groups to propel advocacy efforts. “The most important thing was having resident voices heard ..read more

Sandra Barksdale is a long-time resident of Reston, Virginia. She has been advocating for safe and healthy living conditions for tenants at the Bowman Towne Court apartment complex in Reston since 2019. She has advocated for repairs and maintenance throughout the complex amidst calls by local politicians, developers, and community groups to tear down Bowman ..read more

With support from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), NLIHC has released an update to the Rental Housing Programs Database (RHPD) and an accompanying report to give policymakers, researchers, and housing advocates greater insight into the growing number of state and local programs that promote affordable housing. The new resources are available here ..read more

In a recent blog post, tenant advocate Tiffiny Graven discusses what she calls “the profound significance of lived experience.” As Tiffiny explains, when it comes to developing effective housing policies – or any policies, for that matter – lived experience is “the compass, the lighthouse, and the map. It has the power to decipher the ..read more

By Tiffiny Graven In contemplating the prospect of collaboration, I find myself compelled to emphasize the profound significance of lived experience. As someone who has walked the difficult paths of domestic violence and homelessness, I recognize the intricate layers that comprise these struggles. This familiarity with the labyrinthine nature of public assistance systems, the intimate ..read more

Advocacy is about changing the world for the better – but it can change you for the better, too. Take it from Deanna Nagle, a tenant advocate and NLIHC member. In a recent blog post, Deanna recounts her experience at a city council budget meeting. When first asked by a local housing group to make ..read more