Rent (Reform) Is Due

<p>The United States is facing an affordable housing crisis. Although the past decade has seen a growth in the number of renters in the United States, this growth has been marked by persistent affordability challenges.&nbsp;Rents have dramatically outpaced wage increases, leading to more and more cost-burdened households. And, most recently, COVID-19 has exposed the limited legal protections available for renters.</p> <p>In this episode, host <a href="http://www.americanbarfoundation.org/about/abf-staff/4210">Matthew Martinez Hannon</a> interviews ABF Research Professor <a href="http://www.americanbarfoundation.org/faculty/profile/58">Anna Reosti </a>about her sociolegal research examining the consequences of modern background screening practices for rental housing access. Then, Matthew is joined by <a href="https://housingonmerit.org/our-leadership/">Jennifer Litwak</a>, Executive Director of <a href="https://housingonmerit.org/">Housing on Merit</a>, a nonprofit organization with the mission to create a bridge to permanent affordable housing for vulnerable populations. Both Anna and Jennifer speak about what access to affordable housing looks like across the country, the obstacles facing low-income renters, and how the pandemic is impacting the way people rent.</p> <p><a href="http://www.americanbarfoundation.org/uploads/cms/documents/episode_2_transcription.pdf">Read the full episode transcription</a>: <a href="http://www.americanbarfoundation.org/uploads/cms/documents/episode_2_transcription.pdf">http://www.americanbarfoundation.org/uploads/cms/documents/episode_2_transcription.pdf&nbsp;</a></p> <p><em><strong>Additional Resources:</strong></em></p> <ul> <li>Read <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/15356841211012483?journalCode=ctya">“The Costs of Seeking Shelter for Renters With Discrediting Background Records”</a> by Anna Reosti: <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/15356841211012483?journalCode=ctya">https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/15356841211012483?journalC