Tenants the Rogue Action Center met through neighborhood canvassing spoke out at a Rent Burden Community Discussion held by the City of Medford last night, ensuring that not just the voices of developers and large landlords were heard. City Councilor Kay Brooks laid out a series of constructive steps that can address the crisis renters are facing.
We heard clearly that the housing crisis is about more than just increasing housing supply. It’s also about ensuring that the 48% of Medford households who rent don’t get pushed out because of unreasonable and repeated rent hikes or no-cause evictions. Landlords in Jackson County have raised rents an average of 58% in just the past three years, which is one reason that one in three local renters — and three-quarters of low-income renters — are paying more than 50 percent of their income in rent. It’s time for Oregon legislators to act to increase tenant protections in 2019. #ORleg #StableHomes