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  • Comment Detail

  • Date: 07/17/23
    First Name: Violet
    Last Name: Pirtle
    Email: pirtlevm@outlook.com
    Organization Type: other
    Organization: KC Tenants

  • Comment

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

    As an educator renting in Kansas City, I have experienced anxiety regarding the cost of my housing. In order to pay for the education I received (which allows me to work in my profession) and other living/work expenses, I have resorted to part-time work during my free time and share my housing with roommates. As an educator, I work well over 50 hours to meet the demands of the profession along with finding work elsewhere, yet I still struggle to found affordable housing in my price range. Aside from my own experience, the reality of many people living in this city is much worse. With rent constantly going up and minimum wage remaining stagnant, people are forced to live in inhumane environments.

    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, ensure tenants have the right to organize, and create an Office of Tenant Protections to enforce these rights in all properties with federally backed mortgages.

    Sincerely,
    Violet