When once-perennial candidate Jimmy McMillan III first ran for elected office in 1993, he campaigned with one consistent message: The Rent is Too Damn High. His efforts garnered little support. Nonetheless, the phrase stuck and became a rallying cry for tenants, housing justice activists, and progressive politicians throughout the country.

Three decades later, the facts still support McMillan’s assertion. CBS News reports that rents rose by 30.4 percent nationwide between 2019 and 2023. This increase has caused a crisis for renters, with 25 percent paying at least half of their income for shelter. Moreover, rent hikes are tied to both an increase in evictions and a spike in homelessness. A 2020 study by the Government Accountability Office found that a $100 increase in housing costs corresponded to a 9 percent uptick in homelessness. Small wonder that more than 650,000 people are currently unhoused in the United States.

Eleanor J. Bader September 23, 2024

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