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My name is Tiana Caldwell and I am a tenant living in Kansas City, MO. I am a member of the Homes Guarantee Campaign.

I LIVE in crisis! I have lived in crisis my whole life!!! Whether it was my two bouts with Cancer that has left me with lasting health issues or growing up in poverty, black AND female. I’ve been evicted more times than I can count-- both through a formal court process and outside of one. People I love have been harmed by this violent system. My baby AJ has had to grow up quicker than any kid ever should. It’s not right!

Recently, my family faced yet another form of forced displacement. Our landlord would not renew our lease for no known reason. It’s been like this for years-- a constant churn. We haven’t been able to stay stably housed for longer than several months at a time.
But it’s not my fault. It’s not our fault. It’s the fault of a system that treats our homes as commodities, that treats us like line items on a landlords budget. It’s the fault of an INjustice system set up to protect profits over people.
Have you ever been to eviction court? It’s like debt collection. It’s like an auction. Most cases are processed in minutes. Almost every case is decided in favor of the landlord.

I’ve never had a lawyer by my side during an eviction.
When you walk through the courtroom doors, it feels like you’ve lost already, especially when you’ve been in that position before and you know that it’s not going to work out in your favor.

I always remember the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I remember the looks of concern and worry on the faces of other people there who are also being evicted.
You can hear the hustle and bustle of the court, but it’s in the background. Mostly what you hear is your heart beating. That’s the loudest thing in the room.
The cases are usually over almost as soon as they’re started. An eviction takes place in a few moments. It reinforces the feeling that the judgment was already dealt- court was just a formality, a performance of justice. You know that it’s stacked against you.

Imagine how MANY people cannot afford to pay rent due to rent increases! Or worse those currently facing eviction, already evicted or HOMELESS right now. We need solutions that are PROACTIVE not REACTIVE!!!

The rent is too damn high. The Federal Housing Finance Agency should protect tenants by limiting annual rent hikes to 1.5 times the Consumer Price Index or 3%, whichever is lower, in properties with federally backed mortgages. These limits should be applied universally as a requirement to all federally backed mortgage programs.

In addition to limits on rent hikes, the FHFA should prohibit evictions without good cause, ban source of income discrimination, enforce and expand existing protections against discrimination, require safe and accessible housing conditions, create a landlord registry, require fair and standardized leases! PROTECT TENANTS!!!