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  • Comment Detail

  • Date: 10/17/22
    First Name: Cassandra
    Last Name: Lyons
    Organization: KY Tenants
    City: N/A
    State: N/A
    Attachment: N/A
    Number: RIN-2590-AB21

  • Comment

    Dear Director Thompson and FHFA team,

    My name is Cassandra and I live in Lexington, KY. I’m writing in response to the FHFA Multifamily Enterprise Housing Goals Proposed Rule Comment Request: ‘Community Support Requirements, (No. 2022–N–11) Multifamily Enterprise Housing Goals Proposed Rule.

    I've gone through times when I've had to go down to 2 meals a day instead of 3, or go into debt buying groceries with a credit card, or eat mostly ramen noodles and peanut butter and Kelly sandwiches until I found myself to weak to function from eating that way, all because I was spending almost all my income on rent.

    The rent is too damn high and I’m counting on FHFA to take every possible action to regulate rents for all properties with federally backed mortgages. If our public money is financing landlords' business of hoarding homes, inserting themselves between homes and families, and charging more in rent than families would pay if we were allowed to buy our houses directly, at the very least there should be limits attached to receiving this subsidy. FHFA has successfully taken bold action in the past to help protect tenants during COVID-19 and to look out for residents of manufactured housing, and I am counting on FHFA to take similar action to help tenants like me during this time of intense economic hardship.

    I am working with KY Tenants as part of a larger coalition called the Homes Guarantee campaign. The Homes Guarantee campaign is composed of at least 53 tenant-led organizations from all corners of the country. We have a long term vision for a world where everyone has access to safe, sustainable and TRULY affordable housing. In the short term we are organizing to win an executive order on rent regulation from the President— see more here: https://damnhighrent.com

    Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you would like to get in touch with me, please contact Grace White, the Homes Guarantee Organizer at g.white@peoplesaction.org.
    Sincerely,
    Cassandra