IMPACT 2019

Over the past year I have been studying affordable housing, and have been appalled by the data that indicates that students living in Oakland pay among the highest rents in the city. In order to combat these overly aggressive landlord policies I hope to create a tenants union. A tenants union would allow students to band together through the University as a buffer to make negotiating prices, and addressing negligent housing conditions more attainable. Currently, landlords are able to charge students whatever they want to, and students who don't have the time nor the resources are beholden to their landlord. With that said a tenants union would in hopes bring down prices of off-campus living, and create better living conditions in many of the houses that aren't up to code. I hope to use a model similar to the University of Illinois to create something similar on Pitt's campus. - Scott