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  • Comment Detail

  • Date: 07/31/23
    First Name: kathryn
    Last Name: copeland
    Email: katcope13@gmail.com
    Organization Type: other
    Organization: KY tenants
  • Comment

    I am a tenant living in Lexington, KY. I am graduate student and instructor at a state university, where I am not paid very much to support myself; however, I have to live in Lexington in order to be able to do my job. Rents in Lexington are extremely high though--because there is a demand for students like me to live nearby campus due to the expense of owning a car and parking, landlords can charge as much as they want for rent, and they can change the price every year even though workers at my university don't receive cost of living raises. I love teaching and want to further my education, but the price of simply living near a university due to RENT alone is almost unmanageable, along with increasing prices for food, healthcare, and other necessities. More than 50% of what I make each month goes to rent alone, which means that I almost never have any money left to save, and rely on credit cards to pay for other necessities. I and almost every other young person I know finds this financial landscape completely untenable. We see no path forward to save up for our future, to pursue our career and education goals, or become financially stable enough to start a family. This situation is unprecedented for a country with so much available housing and so much wealth--and the situation necessitates government action to further regulate landlords' control over rent prices and to step in and create options for affordable housing.