Question

NICKEL AND DIMED BY BARBARA EHRENREICH Housing costs pose the greatest obstacle for low-wage workers. Why does our society seem to resist rectifying this situation? Do you believe there are realistic solutions to the lack of affordable housing?

Answer 1

Answer:

The interests of tenants and landlords are at odds on the question of housing costs and there is resistance to keeping housing affordable because it then becomes difficult for landlords to profit from their ownership and to upkeep the properties because standards and expenses are also on the rise.

Explanation:

The lack of affordable housing is a problem for many lower income Americans as real estate speculation has led to the gentrification of many neighborhoods where rents were formerly lower and where it was more feasible for someone of lower income to affordable housing. Now it is a struggle in many of the major cities in the United States for lower-income people to find affordable housing and a larger percentage of their income has to go to meeting housing costs, which makes it more difficult for them to afford other necessities like food, clothing, heating, and transportation costs. A realistic situation would be to introduced municipal-level rent controls as cities like New York have done in the past. Although landlords also lobby against such measures because it affects the margins they can earn on their properties.