Fresno’s rents are crushing young people, especially those just out of incarceration | Opinion
Fresno’s young people are being crushed by the affordable housing crisis — and those returning from incarceration remain the most vulnerable.
Despite their best efforts, many young people trying to re-integrate into their communities after their involvement in the criminal legal system face enormous barriers to securing and maintaining affordable housing, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.
I know this struggle firsthand. When I got released from my incarceration in 2016, I didn’t have anywhere to call home. I was 19. I did what I could for the first few weeks — like couch surfing — but I ultimately ended up completely on the street. Being homeless led me back to self-destructive behaviors and several more stays at the county jail.
Because I didn’t have anywhere to rest, get up, shower, or have something to eat, it was virtually impossible to get a job, enter college, and comply with certain conditions of probation.
There were also too few options for emergency shelters to stay in — and with the closure of the EOC youth sanctuary, it doesn’t look like it’s getting any better for those in need of temporary shelter. As a young adult re-entering your community after incarceration, housing is key to being successful on that journey.
I know this rings true for many of the youth I work alongside and share experiences with at Fresno Barrios Unidos. Time and again, the No. 1 challenge that emerges is housing.
When it comes to finding a place to rent, our criminal record becomes a barrier. Formerly incarcerated people are nearly 10 times more likely to become homeless compared to those who have never been incarcerated, only to be denied a place to stay because of our record.
Another big challenge when it comes to securing and maintaining housing is affordability. This is especially true for justice-involved young people who may also be discriminated against in employment, making them less economically stable and impacting their ability to afford the rising costs of rent.
Even with statewide rent caps, corporate landlords unjustly raise rents herein Fresno, far outpacing the national trend, making it impossible to live. This is not only a moral failure, but a systemic one. Fresno’s elected leaders must handle this issue with more urgency and be proactive about it if they are to truly address the housing crisis. The city has already taken steps to alleviate some of the effects of the housing crisis, like the eviction protection program and the local housing trust fund — but we need to strengthen, expand and build on that. Complex problems require comprehensive solutions.
For those young people experiencing this transition without the familial support to help house them, we need to understand the immediate need for low-barrier emergency shelters to help bridge the gap between crises and stability — and to act on the opportunity.
We need stronger tenant protections and rent control to protect our most vulnerable populations and ensure a long-term solution. Stronger tenant protections reduce the barriers for formerly incarcerated persons to find housing, and when paired with rent control, keep housing within their financial reach and allow for long-term, stable housing.
Rent control is the only policy that can provide immediate relief to tenants facing unaffordable ncreases. It can be the best defense against ever-rising rent and displacement by capping the rate at which rent can increase.
The City Council can be a part of the solution by presenting and passing a rent control and tenant protections ordinance. The community has voiced the solution. Will you stand with them?
