Across the country, renters and unhoused people are organizing to demand that all levels of government address the nation’s housing crisis through social housing.

On September 25–28, housing justice organizations held National Housing Days of Action, and low-income people put their bodies on the line. In Washington, DC, dozens were arrested for calling for generous public funding for affordable housing at the office of Representative Steve Womack (R-AR), who chairs the US House subcommittee on housing appropriations.

In many cities—including Little Rock, ARBridgeport, CTLewiston, MELouisville, KY, Philadelphia, PA; and Los Angeles, CA—tenants, unhoused people, and mobile home residents joined together in the actions. In the “swing state” of Nevada, hundreds marched in Las Vegas with signs proclaiming “We Rent, We Vote” to remind politicians that renters are a key voting bloc in the November elections—and strongly favor rent control and deeply affordable, publicly provided housing.

In California, hundreds of people rallied in Sacramento, where Governor Gavin Newsom (D) recently issued an executive order for state agencies to sweep homeless encampments, threatening to cut funding to localities that do not comply. Newsom issued his order after the US Supreme Court’s verdict in Grants Pass, OR v. Johnson affirmed punishing people for sleeping outside, even if there is no other shelter available. Rally participants decried the criminalization of homelessness, calling instead for tenant protections and for the state to fully fund one million truly affordable homes.

These campaigns are part of a growing grassroots movement that is coalescing behind the notion of social housing.

What Is Social Housing?

Social housing means homes for people, not profit. It means treating housing as a public good and a basic human need, rather than as a speculative commodity. Many housing justice organizations define social housing as housing that is permanently and deeply affordable, even for the lowest income households.

Social housing is publicly owned or under democratic community control. It can never be resold for profit, and for-profit investors are barred or restricted. It is democratically managed through the input of resident associations, tenant unions, and surrounding communities. It can include quality public housing, permanently affordable and accessible housing owned by mission-driven nonprofits, supportive housing for the recently unhoused, as well as models for nonprofit community control such as resident-owned community land trusts and limited equity cooperatives.

Read the full article about social housing by Amee Chew at Nonprofit Quarterly.