Relief for renters and minimum wage earners

We need real rent reform now. For far too long, average working Americans have seen their wages stagnate while the costs of living have skyrocketed.

In order to better regulate rental and real estate prices, we need legislation to protect renters from unreasonable price hikes. Additionally, those entities that do not require private housing should be excluded from investing, speculating or otherwise interfering with actual humans gaining and attaining shelter.

To this end, I propose that all metropolitan areas enact rent ordinances that limit affordable housing prices to no more than 1/3 the monthly income of one person working at minimum wage for a one bedroom unit. If there is a family of at least one adult and one child, or one employeed adult and one unemployeed adult, the rental price is to be tagged at no more than 1/2 of a single income based on full-time employment at minimum wage.

The number of units to be considered for these pricing regulations shall be directly proportionate to the number of individuals living below $40,000/year in each metropolitan area. For example, in one city with an overall population of 500,000 people, and population of 300,000 people earning at or below $40,000/year, the number of affordable rental units shall be no less than 300,000.

Additionally, there needs to be an immediate expansion of public housing units throughout the US. We need a jobs program and the capital to provide for the entire population of Americans living at or below the poverty line with adequte housing opportunities. This means a country-wide building project in all major and minor population centers to build additional public housing units.

Housing is a basic human right. It is not a commodity to be traded on the stock market.