This is my favorite answer here so far. I’m currently taking a housing policy course and if there’s one main theme throughout, it’s that every housing policy has its pros and cons. Discussing housing solutions requires a LOT of nuance that gets lost here on Reddit discussions.

Based on what I’ve learned so far in my class, adding more supply is in my opinion the best way to go about addressing the housing crisis in the long run. There are studies that have shown that building more market rate housing does lower the price of buildings in the new housing’s immediate surroundings. Of course, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use the tools we already have like LIHTC and inclusionary zoning to ensure that low-income families have housing options. (And even then, LIHTC and IZ don’t help extremely low income families so that’s an issue)

However, new developments take a LONG time and the LIHTC buildings have expiring requirements (only require affordable housing for a certain amount of time and then they can charge market rate rent). For families who are faced with no-cause evictions as an example, they need a place to live now, not three years from now. That’s why housing choice vouchers are so important. And for families whose income hasn’t grown as much as their rent, they need housing now and rent stabilization is the quickest way to ensure they’re not gonna be on the streets.

All that to say, housing is a huge clusterfuck, and no one solution is going to be perfect. I just wish people would talk about this topic with more humility, openness to learning and new ideas, and compassion for families who are victims of the shitty housing crisis.