America is in the midst of a housing crisis. Homelessness hit a record high last year, rising 18 percent in 2024. Meanwhile, rent spiked by 50 percent in the past decade, rendering the typical American consumer ‘rent burdened’ for the first time in decades. Americans are also struggling to purchase homes, as all across the country the median-priced home is out of reach for the average income earner. The lack of affordable housing disproportionately harms marginalized groups — especially Black Americans who are twice as likely to rent, and more likely to suffer homelessness or eviction.
As a response, a growing number of cities and states are turning to rent control. In 2019, Oregon became the first in the nation to pass statewide rent control, and earlier this year, Washington State passed a bill capping rent increases at ten percent annually. The likely next mayor of New…
