When Housing Is A Commodity, It Leaves Out #HousingForAll

In late spring and early summer, the Washtenaw Housing Alliance was hearing from case managers and tenants about the struggles they faced when renewing a lease or searching for affordable housing in Washtenaw County. Some of these experiences continue to be shared in recent weeks. It is disheartening and frustrating to know that searching for housing, with less and less affordable options available, can add waves of panic and despair to an already stressful life event like moving. This emotional anxiety and uncertainty could all go away if our relationship to housing was not structured around its commodification. The pandemic, following a little over a decade since the housing market crash and economic recession, once again exposes our unstable housing reality.

On June 30th the state of Michigan’s COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA) program, which provided eviction prevention and rent assistance, closed its application portal for new funding requests. Many are feeling the pinch to figure out where to move to next in a tight housing market with less flexible emergency funding available. Reflecting on this heaviness in the after times of a pandemic makes it even more clear on why returning to expectations from a time before is an obvious lesson unlearned.

Beyond Washtenaw County, cities such as Nashville, TN, once considered affordable compared to similar-sized cities, is no longer an option for those seeking an affordable community to live. For the first time ever, the median listed rent for an available apartment in the United States rose above $2,000 a month. The National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) makes clear in their Gap Report: A Shortage of Affordable Rental Homes that, “no state has an adequate supply of affordable rental housing for the lowest income renters.”

Rising rents and inflation are likely to increase many families risk of homelessness, particularly because of our current eviction process. Unfortunately, most tenants do not have legal representation at eviction hearings. One key finding in a report published by Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan validates that access to legal representation leads to better outcomes for tenants. The report explains that, “[i]n Washtenaw County, tenants with representation were more likely to receive a positive outcome for their cases with 56% of cases dismissed and 11% receiving a judgment in their favor. By comparison, among tenants who lacked representation, only 45% of cases were dismissed and no judgments were in their favor.” Enacting a Right to Counsel (RTC) ordinance in our county would help protect those facing evictions because they would receive guaranteed counsel in court. If implemented here, we would join Detroit which passed a RTC ordinance in May and allocated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to cover the costs of legal representation.

“Reflecting on this heaviness in the after times of a pandemic makes it even more clear on why returning to expectations from a time before is an obvious lesson unlearned.”

As a society we individualize much of our shared experiences around housing and access. For example, rent continues to grow faster than wages and yet perceptions still link a person’s employment and/or income to accessing safe and stable housing. Housing as a commodity continues to allow private market forces to shift its affordability at the expense of community stability and perpetuates the illusion that maintaining access through these shifts is an individual’s responsibility. Recently the Community Housing Locator at the Washtenaw Housing Alliance rebooted our Housing Coordinators Network (HCN) to re-shift the imbalance between the private market and community.

The HCN is a collective of WHA member agencies, and other county partners, that provide housing location and placement services. Its mission is to help individuals obtain housing who are experiencing homelessness and facing significant barriers due to economic hardship, physical or mental health challenges, and a lack of safe and affordable housing. Through this network, the WHA can receive referrals for its Landlord Guarantee Fund, which may assist with covering rental application fees, renter’s insurance, or security deposits when other sources of funding are unavailable to assist someone. The HCN is also a meeting space for providers to raise concerns, give feedback, and exchange resources and knowledge. Rebooting this network is critical to supporting tenants and service providers across the county and offer collective problem-solving for issues best addressed through the WHA’s advocacy and outreach. For anyone wanting more information about HCN or joining the network can contact Sharon Lapides at lapidess@washtenaw.org.

Let us move forward together out of this pandemic. Let us have less housing as a commodity and more #HousingForAll.