Have you noticed that everyone seems to be talking about how expensive it is to rent or buy a house these days? If you think it sounds bad, you’re right because “everywhere you look, the data is bad,” said Patrick Coakley, a real estate expert with more than 25 years of experience.

On September 3, 2023, Lawmakers gathered in Washington to discuss America’s housing crisis: Here’s What Happened:

Finally, someone is paying attention to whether we can actually afford a place to live in the future.

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who represents Los Angeles (CA-34), led the first-ever National Summit on the Housing Affordability Crisis at the Capitol. He brought together Congress members, activists, union leaders, business people, and community groups to talk about a huge problem: finding a home in America is just too expensive for most people.

At the summit, people talked about possible solutions, like building more affordable homes, helping renters, stopping unfair evictions, and fighting homelessness. It wasn’t just words, the leaders at the summit pushed for big changes.

Turning Empty Offices Into Homes?

One idea that stood out was Rep. Gomez’s bill, the Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act (RDMA). Basically, this bill would give tax breaks (like a government coupon) to encourage the conversion of empty office buildings into apartments regular people can actually afford. At least 20% of these new homes would have to stay affordable for 30 years! Think of all those deserted office buildings you see and imagine if they became homes for families like yours and mine.

Big Leaders, Big Promises

Top Congressional leaders like House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and others also showed up to support, saying it’s time to stop just talking and actually do something.

Rep. Gomez put it bluntly: “When families working full time are still forced to choose between rent, food, or health care, they begin to question if their leaders…are truly fighting for them.”

Congresswoman Ramirez, who used to run a homeless services organization also spoke up: “We must urgently work to make housing more affordable, accessible, and sustainable.”

Why Should High Schoolers or college students care?

This isn’t just a “grown-up” crisis, it affects everyone, including students and their families. If affordable housing solutions don’t happen, more people might face homelessness, struggle to pay for college or even be forced to move away from their communities. Plus, many teens dream of moving out and having a place of their own someday, shouldn’t we all get a fair shot at that?

The summit made one thing clear: If we want a future where everyone has a safe, affordable place to live, we need bold solutions and young people need to start pay attention.

Until next time…