Ep 69 – Rent Seekers

Episode 69 - "Rent Seekers" Half of America's poor pay at least 50% of their income on rent, while a quarter of them pay over 70%, and this trend is worsening as the number of affordable housing units continues to outpace Americans' abilities to pay for them. How did we get in a scenario where so many Americans are surrendering so much just to have a place to live? What incentives drive people to prey upon the needs we have for basic necessities? What does eviction actually mean? All these questions will be answered and we'll get to listen into a special interview with a guest joining us from Santa Cruz to discuss tenant organizing, legislative solutions, and how all of us could be making a difference in our lives and those of our neighbors in this intro episode to housing rights. Chapters 5:51 "Multifamily Evictions, Large Owners, and Serial Filings: Findings from Metropolitan Atlanta" 13:22 Maximizing that Mailbox Money 24:57 "Do the Poor Pay More for Housing? Exploitation, Profit, and Risk in Rental Markets" 32:23 Nothing is Profitable 41:59 Neoclassical economics and oversimplification 51:43 INTERVIEW: Claire from Santa Cruz, CA A full transcript is available as well as detailed links and sources (plus credits and more) on our website ashesashes.org. Find more information along with relevant news and links on your favorite social network @ashesashescast. CC BY-SA 4.0