Young People Fight High Housing Costs Before They Even Sign Leases

Young people across America are getting angry about housing costs, even before they rent their first apartments. In New York City, college students and teenagers are starting groups to fight high rents and study housing laws. They worry that when they grow up, they won't be able to afford homes in their own neighborhoods.

Angelo Mazza is 19 years old and studies at Fordham University in New York. He lives with his parents in Queens and has watched rents go up and up in his neighborhood. Last year, he started a group with his friend to teach other young people about housing laws. The group helps explain complicated zoning rules in simple terms for teenagers and college students.

Throughout history, young people have fought for important causes that affect their futures. College students protested the Vietnam War in the 1960s because they didn't want to fight. Teenagers rallied for gun control after school shootings to feel safer. Young adults have fought climate change because they worry about what the planet will look like when they're older.

Now, housing costs might be the next big cause for young people to organize around. A Harvard poll found that four out of ten young Americans think housing costs are becoming a national emergency. Only inflation worried more young people aged 18 to 29. Many see a future where they can barely afford a place to live.

In New York City, young people see the housing crisis early in their lives. Some of their middle school classmates live in homeless shelters. They see people sleeping in subway cars on cold winter nights. This makes them want to do something about the problem before they even need their own apartments.