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Over the past several years, rent is getting higher and the cost of living is skyrocketing In the last two years of community organizing, I have protested in front of court houses to make sure renters are getting access to rent relief and eviction prevention. I have raised money for older tenants who were homeless to have money to support themselves while waiting for months on end for housing assistance. The system is beyond stretched for folks on the margins and even for me just for requesting better treatment, better maintenance and respect from a landlord I was served a non renewal and forced out of my apartment home of 6 years. It has broken my spirit, damaged my mental health, caused a range of anxiety related gastrointestinal problems, and exacerbated the chronic pain I already have from working as a full time part time musician. I have to cobble together many gigs to make ends meet for me and my spouse and I had to pull back from doing a lot of help for local tenants because of needing to meet my needs as well as close friends who are struggling to make rent. The landlords have immense financial and legal power and we are at their mercy. If affordable and public housing, rent control, and other tenant protections are not enacted, we will continue to suffer until there will be nothing but empty expensive homes with only the rich to fill them and the rest of us to rot. We are in dire straits and we need people to act now to preserve peoples homes.