The story, “Long Beach renters want more protection” by Branden Raulston printed on Feb. 3 highlighted the fact that tenants often have to deal with slow response times and out-of-pocket expenses for repairs with landlords who do not fix things on time.
Many renters such as Alex Giaque wish they had the right to take care of issues without written consent and put the rent money into an escrow account until the landlord makes the necessary repairs.
But there is a more important reason that renters need this right that the article doesn’t fully cover.
Many renters do not have the financial capability to pay for their own repairs.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, on average low-income family households make $1,470 a month. When factoring in the average housing costs of $1,250 that leaves a mere $220 for everything else.
A typical household pays for expenses such as food, transportation costs, insurance and sometimes debt. But the question is, what happens when that excess money that is used to pay for household necessities goes towards home repairs? The simple answer is, families will struggle to get by on a monthly basis, living off paycheck to paycheck.
Individuals should not have to face these kinds of decisions to sacrifice basic necessities for home repairs that should be taken care of by landlords. The sad truth is a lot of American families sacrifice more than needed just to get by.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition in California, minimum wage earners must work 129 hours per week for 52 weeks each year to afford a two-bedroom apartment. Otherwise, a household must include 3.2 minimum wage earners working 40 hours per week year-round in order to make the two-bedroom apartment affordable.
The California State University, Long Beach Bateman team has partnered with Home Matters America to help raise awareness of the importance of quality affordable housing in America. Their campaign, Rethink Home, hosted a panel event on Wednesday, which featured executive members Housing Long Beach and LINC Housing. The panel event discussed the lack of quality affordable housing and the current issues regarding housing in America.
Home Matters America is one of the many non-profit organizations that are actively raising awareness of the housing issues in America. Their mission is to build awareness and raise funds for more affordable homes and better communities across the nation.
There is clearly a housing crisis in America, and the problem is not enough people are able to purchase or rent quality affordable housing. There is no simple answer to solve issues like these and positive results do not happen over night. We need to start raising awareness of the housing issues in America and become educated on the subject matter first. Change will not happen unless others are aware of this issue and understand that it affects many of us in America.
Everyone in America should be able to live in a safe, nurturing environment with access to quality education, healthcare, public spaces and community services.
