Rights & Remedies: Rental Housing for Low-Income Households in the United States

Abstract

The state of rental housing for low-income households in the United States is deplorable. Unaffordable, unsanitary, and insecure, this housing violates the internationally recognized right of housing. While the United States has never formally recognized that right, the right guarantees not only a roof overhead but also affordability, habitability, and security of tenure. Policies and programs seeking to remedy the problems in rental housing might consciously address these aspects of rental housing. Policies and programs of this sort will not be enough to eliminate all problems, but they would alleviate a matter of great embarrassment, namely, the most affluent country in the world does not adequately house its low-income households.

Keywords: low-income households, right of housing, affordable housing, financialization of housing, habitability, lead paint poisoning, eviction, eviction moratoria, low-income housing tax credits