Private equity-backed investors initiated a surge in their acquisition of rental properties during the Great Recession, and this trend continued through the pandemic and into the future.rates, I witness the struggle for housing security daily. However, the pandemic illuminated ways to protect people from housing insecurity.I’ve lived in some of the most expensive housing markets nationwide.
While some perceived my ordeal as an outcome of the principles of supply and demand, with property owners making rational choices to maximize profits, the broader housing crisis illustrates the consequences of wealth concentrated in the hands of a few.
We must commit to keeping people in their homes while finding solutions for our unhoused neighbors. Stopping the harm will require a slew of tenant protections, including rent stabilization and just-cause eviction protections. Tenants unions gained traction in communities nationwide as an accessible way for people to get involved, and speaking up at city council and board of supervisor meetings is invaluable.