Every October, tenant unions across the world recognize the right of all renters to dignified and affordable homes on International Tenants’ Day. I will soon introduce a resolution to recognize International Tenants’ Day in Pennsylvania on the first Monday of October to bring this commitment home to our commonwealth.
   

Across all economic classes and age groups, more families are renting their homes than ever before. At the same time, more Americans are putting their money toward housing costs at the expense of all other needs—forcing them to choose between food on the table or a roof over their heads. New research from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University found that two-thirds of all working-age renters spend so much money on rent that they don't have enough money left in their pockets to cover other basic necessities. 
 

Pennsylvania is no exception. The lack of quality homes has left our neighbors with fewer choices and less control over where and how they live and raise their families. Pennsylvania faces a shortage of more than 100,000 homes, and with some of the oldest housing stock in the nation, this shortage will only grow. The prospects of finding a home are far worse for people living on very low incomes, with only 39 affordable rental homes available to every 100 low-income renter households who need them. 
 

The housing crisis we face knows no political or geographic bounds, and its solution can only begin with a concerted commitment to the rights of all our neighbors to live in dignity, regardless of whether they own or rent their homes. My hope is that in joining the call of the International Tenants Union—a commitment to safe, secure, and affordable housing, and to the rights of all tenants to advocate for their safety and wellbeing—we can begin to ameliorate this emergency. 
 

Please join me in co-sponsoring this resolution.