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  • Comment Detail

  • Date: 07/29/23
    First Name: Molly
    Last Name: Dillon
    Email: mollydillon01@gmail.com
    Organization Type: other
    Organization: KC Tenants
  • Comment

    Rent control is necessary for renters to have a financially stable and predictable future. When I first started renting in Kansas City in 2012, my rent was $375 per month. In 2021 my rent was $700 per month. To many people these would be affordable rates for either year. To me, as a single person with 250 dollars in student loan payments per month and not making over 15 dollars per hour most of this decade, the rapid rise in housing costs forced me to be agile with my employment choices, while I truly never saved much money until I turned 28 years old in 2021. During this time I had to buy a car to stay employed, worked 2 jobs to make 700 per month rent affordable to me. Many of these decisions were personal but $1100 a month, the current "affordable" rent in my city has never been affordable for me. I earn just about a living wage now, but this would consume 50% of my monthly take home pay. We need a cap on rent increases that helps people envision a future for themselves beyond saving up for rent next month. Because of rapid housing increases, it is nearly impossible to keep up with life along with saving for emergencies without having inherited, generational wealth or a degree in a high earning field.