The housing situation is in crisis (“Rents have skyrocketed at Woodland East Manufactured Home Park,” The Columbian, Jan. 13). I see people all over Southwest Washington living on the freezing cold streets. Of course we need to build more affordable housing, but we own our own homes here, and anyway we couldn’t wait for homes to be built, because we’re in our 70s and 80s. We could stay here in our homes that we paid cash for if we could afford it.
The rent for the lot our home sits on was originally $610. It has more than doubled to $1,250. My husband is on dialysis and we are both on Social Security. If the rent hikes keep going unchecked like this, seniors and other vulnerable tenants like us will be forced out onto the street.
Our lawmakers have the opportunity to pass legislation stabilizing rent. If they don’t, 165 people could be out on the street or in our cars. A friend said we should have bought a bigger car, and she’s right.
