New House Caucus Seeks to Address Renter Woes
WASHINGTON — Responding to a growing number of constituents whose rents are outpacing their ability to pay them, Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., on Wednesday established the first-ever Renters Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“As the burden of rent has increased significantly, far outpacing the increase in real wages, it’s become clear that we need a strong, coordinated effort in Congress to advocate for the millions of renters in our country,” Gomez said at a morning press conference outside the U.S. Capitol.
“This long overdue caucus will be a launching pad for legislative efforts and advocacy to finally give renters a voice in Washington,” he added.
As the representative of California’s 34th Congressional District, a district almost entirely within the borders of Los Angeles, Gomez’s constituents include the highest percentage of renters in California and the third-highest percentage in the nation.
But as he was quick to point out on Wednesday, the escalating cost of rent has a direct impact on the nation’s overall economic health, making renters’ concerns “an issue that affects everyone,” he said.
Gomez’s creation of the House Renters Caucus comes in the wake of a number of recent studies that show the typical renter in America is now spending more than 30% of their income on housing.
The representative said the new caucus will serve as a “crucial platform” for him and like-minded lawmakers to collaborate, put forth legislative proposals and engage in meaningful discussions of the pressing issues affecting the nation’s over 44 million renters and their families.
Among other things, he said caucus members will work together to expand assistance for all eligible cost-burdened renters, eliminate bureaucratic and discriminatory barriers to accessing affordable housing, and improve the quality, availability and affordability of our nation’s rental housing stock.
Reps. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., will serve as vice chairs of the new caucus.
The other founding members of the House Renters Caucus are Reps. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., Rob Menendez, D-N.J., Maxwell Alejandro Frost, D-Fla., Dwight Evans, D-Pa., Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, Grace Meng, D-N.Y., Ted Lieu, D-Calif., and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.
Among those endorsing the creation of the new caucus on Wednesday was Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for increasing the supply of affordable rental housing for the lowest-income renters.
“There is a tremendous power imbalance in our housing system that tilts heavily in favor of landlords at the expense of low-income and other marginalized renters, putting families at greater risk of housing instability and homelessness, and fueling racial inequity,” Yentel said in a written statement.
“While the affordable housing crisis pre-dates the pandemic, recent rent increases — driven by growing demand for rental housing, limited supply, high inflation and a patchwork of limited renter protections — have exacerbated the housing challenges extremely low-income renters were already facing,” she continued. “Congress must increase investments in the long-term solutions that address the underlying causes of the affordable housing crisis, and enact needed reforms that level the playing field between tenants and landlords.”
Shamus Roller, executive director of the National Housing Law Project, a group that advocates for the rights of low-income tenants, also celebrated the creation of the caucus, noting the importance of Congress staying “focused on protecting tenants’ rights and preserving safe, decent, accessible and affordable housing.”
“The current rental market often subjects tenants to discrimination, harassment, rent gouging and significant rent burden, frequent and unjust evictions, and dangerous conditions; and it prevents opportunities for closing the wealth gap. Congress can and should address these challenges, and we’re confident the congressional Renters Caucus can bring together experts and champions to reform the system,” Roller said.
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