Housing and Homelessness

Three people in a parking lot outside a residential building look at and sign tenant union cards and materials.

In the US, Tenants Are Usually on Their Own. Can a New National Tenant Union Change That? In the US, Tenants Are Usually on Their Own. Can a New National Tenant Union Change That?

The Tenant Union Federation is fostering a wave of tenant leaders who have been pushed to the margins—many of them elderly, disabled, low-income—as they aim to transform renters i...

Dec 4, 2024 / Thomas Birmingham

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Letters From the November 2024 Issue Letters From the November 2024 Issue

No mention of genocide… Developer talk…

Oct 29, 2024 / Our Readers

Pine Street Inn, New England’s largest homeless services organization, cohosted a voter registration drive to encourage voting among people experiencing homelessness.

The Hidden Barriers to Voting While Unhoused The Hidden Barriers to Voting While Unhoused

Turnout is low among people experiencing homelessness–a result of restrictive registration laws, political disaffection, and the misconception that they’re not allowed to vote.

Oct 23, 2024 / StudentNation / Maggie Grether

The Future of Rent Control Is on the Ballot in California

The Future of Rent Control Is on the Ballot in California The Future of Rent Control Is on the Ballot in California

Proposition 33 could overturn the controversial Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which has limited rent control policies in the state for decades.

Oct 21, 2024 / StudentNation / Amber X. Chen and Maggie Grether

A television showing Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris debating Republican presidential nominee former president Donald Trump is seen playing in a living room on September 10, 2024, in Ashton, Idaho.

For Harris, Housing Takes Center Stage, but Tenants Are Not the Audience For Harris, Housing Takes Center Stage, but Tenants Are Not the Audience

Harris has emphasized housing during her campaign more than most Democrats in recent years—but her policies rarely include the words “renters” or “tenants.”

Sep 19, 2024 / Thomas Birmingham

Brady Crain, the executive director of Mainchance, stands outside the drop-in center in midtown Manhattan.

As Homelessness Spikes in New York City, Eric Adams Is Trying to Close a Homeless Shelter As Homelessness Spikes in New York City, Eric Adams Is Trying to Close a Homeless Shelter

The possibility of closure looms over the patrons of the Mainchance drop-in center.

Sep 19, 2024 / Xenia Gonikberg

Mayor Eric Adams at a Bloomberg Television interview during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 21, 2024.

Is Eric Adams’s Luck About to Run Out? Is Eric Adams’s Luck About to Run Out?

Losing one police commissioner might be merely careless. But losing two—with a number of federal investigations targeting the mayor’s inner circle—has encouraged challengers.

Sep 17, 2024 / Ross Barkan

JD Vance smiling

JD Vance Can’t Even Bullshit Properly JD Vance Can’t Even Bullshit Properly

Donald Trump is a world-class BS artist. His running mate is just a twitchy liar.

Sep 16, 2024 / Jeet Heer

Unhoused senior citizens call a homeless advocate from at Tussing Park in Grants Pass, Oregon. on Thursday. March 28, 2024.

The Moral Failure of the Grants Pass Decision The Moral Failure of the Grants Pass Decision

While the United States might indeed be the richest country in history, it hasn’t proven particularly rich in generosity.

Sep 9, 2024 / Cedar Monroe and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis

Blake Street Tenants Union Protest

The Connecticut Tenants Union Trying to Buy Their Apartment Building The Connecticut Tenants Union Trying to Buy Their Apartment Building

Members of the Blake Street Tenants Union in New Haven see community ownership as critical to preserving affordable housing. Is now the time for widespread tenant control?

Sep 2, 2024 / StudentNation / Maggie Grether

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