we need a new vision for housing.
While policy changes can protect tenants from the worst landlord behavior, they don’t address the everyday frustrations of living in a system where housing is treated as a commodity instead of a human right.
If temporary circumstances prevent you from paying rent on time, there's no guarantee your landlord will work with you before filing for eviction.
Tenants rarely have a meaningful say in what happens at their building—whether that's about rent hikes, maintenance, or available amenities.
And in a system where maximizing profit is the end goal, a landlord’s priorities—cutting costs—will always clash with the tenant’s need for safe, secure housing.
What we need is a different approach: one grounded in values that center tenant agency and well-being.
Social Housing
Social housing offers that alternative. It refers to housing that is permanently affordable, community-controlled, and decommodified—meaning it can’t be bought or sold for private profit. Social housing can take many forms, but its core purpose is simple: to provide people with stable, dignified places to live.
Social Housing Examples
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People's Community Land Trust
An effort to fight displacement in Atlanta and create permanently affordable housing through collective land ownership and democratic decision-making.
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East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative
A cooperative in California working to remove land and housing from the speculative market and place it under community stewardship.
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East Boston Neighborhood Trust
A resident-driven land trust that protects tenants from displacement by acquiring properties and preserving them as permanently affordable homes.