Rent Control Works! New report from HOMESFORALL.org
Find the Report Here
As the tenant-led rent control movement gains momentum in California, and across the country, Homes For All member Urban Habitat is releasing this powerful new report: Strengthening Communities through Rent Control and Just-Cause Evictions.
Authored by Urban Habitat's intern, Leslie Gordon, the new report demonstrates that rent control and just-cause eviction policies are viable policy interventions to prevent displacement and stabilize communities. Urban Habitat assessed long-established rent board programs in Santa Monica and Berkeley, and in Richmond, we gathered information about the process of establishing a robust rent board.
Key findings of the report affirm the efficacy of rent control policies:
Rent control protects local social and economic diversity, while landlord-backed laws such as the Ellis Act and Costa-Hawkins skew the overall rental market in favor of more affluent renters.
Rent control has little to no effect on the construction of new housing.
Rent control provides landlords a fair return on profits.
Rent control boards are cost-neutral programs to cities.
Roberta Ryan, member of the RISE Coalition, echoes these findings, “As those representing the interests of the most vulnerable residents in Fremont, we’ve known that these policies will improve their lives. This report is supported by years of work on the ground with real tenants and residents.”
Urban Habitat’s ongoing research on regional resegregation in the Bay Area, understood as the growth of poverty and racial segregation in the urban fringe, has already highlighted the tremendous hardships that low-income communities face when displaced by devastating rent spikes, poor housing conditions, and no-fault evictions. Bay Area cities must enact strong tenant protections to stem the displacement crisis and protect the fabric of low-income communities and communities of color. Rent control and just-cause eviction programs are one prong of Urban Habitat’s multi-strategy approach to protect vulnerable renters, preserve existing housing, and produce affordable housing. Together these strategies help stabilize neighborhoods, create just economies, and increase democratic participation.
Tenants Together's new toolkit aims to empower communities to fight displacement by passing local rent control laws. Communities Thrive with Rent Control expands significantly on TT’s earlier toolkit, and will help advocates better understand rent control laws and how to push back on industry misinformation about these local policies.
Strengthening Communities through Rent Control and Just-Cause Evictions is available here.
Join the LiveStream Report & Toolkit Launch today at 11 PT / 2 ET on Tenants Together's Facebook Live!
The press conference will feature:
Aimee Inglis, Associate Director, Tenants Together
Eduardo Torres, East Bay Organizer, Tenants Together
Betty Gabaldon, Concord Tenants Together member
Lorena Melgarejo, Executive Director, Faith in Action Bay Area
Kenneth Tang, Oakland Organizer, Asian-Pacific Environmental Network
Bradley Weidmire, Home Care Worker, SEIU 2015
Leslie Gordon, Researcher, Urban Habitat
