With more than 25 million Americans, including nine million children, facing housing insecurity each year, Make Room announced a bipartisan congressional effort to designate September as “National Month for Renters.”
Joined at a press conference by resolution sponsors Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Reps. Bruce Poliquin (R-Maine) and Denny Heck (D-Wash.), Make Room shed light on the 11 million households nationwide that spend more than half of their income just on rent, while making sacrifices such as forgoing food, health care, and other necessities.
“Make Room is extremely grateful to have bipartisan support for National Month for Renters to shine a spotlight on the critical issue of struggling renters and affordable housing in America,” said Ali Solis, Make Room, president and CEO, in a statement. “Our goal is to spread awareness and humanize this issue, reinforce the importance of placing affordable rental housing on the national agenda, and advocate for bold solutions that will end housing insecurity.”
House resolution 475, co-sponsored by Poliquin and Heck, was introduced in the House of Representatives on July 25. The Senate version is being expected to be introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Van Hollen this week.
“Millions of families in Maryland and across the country are being squeezed by rising rents—making it difficult to pay for other basic needs like groceries and health care,” said Van Hollen. “I'm pleased to join Sen. Cassidy in offering this bipartisan resolution. We want to bring awareness to this issue as we mark National Month for Renters in September, and to thank Make Room and the other groups working on a problem that impacts so many in our nation.”
Rising country music star Kane Brown, who recently partnered with Make Room on a national campaign, spoke at the press conference and participated in a Congressional briefing with families impacted by the current rental housing crisis.
“When I was younger, my mom and I lived in a car because we didn’t have anywhere to go. After graduating from high school, even though I was working, I didn’t have enough money to pay rent so I stayed with my nana,” Kane Brown revealed. “I’m proud to partner with Make Room to help other people who have been in similar housing situations. I just want people to know that they can make it through hard times like I did.”
