Affordable housing matters

Thanks to The Olympian for showing the positive action volunteers have been taking to create a solution to homelessness in a video about the Plum Street Village of tiny homes, and at the same time debunking the myths and misunderstandings of homelessness in an editorial. (‘Volunteers ready Plum Street Village tiny homes for opening day’ and ‘Homeless is a circumstance caused by both societal issues and personal misfortune’ Jan. 25)

When no one working for the federal minimum wage is able to afford rent on a two-bedroom home anywhere in America, action needs to be taken to create affordable housing. Low-income working families and communities of color need ladders out of poverty and housing is top on the list of making a difference. We can partner with this reporting and make a difference by calling or writing our representatives and asking them to pass new economic policies that prioritize those who need this help. With 71 percent of extremely low-income renters spending more than half their income on housing, something needs to change, and it can be our voices that help create that change.