By Reginald Williams,
AFRO only
When Congressman-elected Maxwell Alejandro Frost takes office in the 118th House of Representatives on Jan. 3, the newest member of the House Black caucus may still be homeless.
A first-generation Z member elected to Congress, Frost is no different than the roughly 6,300 other Washingtonians without secure housing.
Homeless, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Development (HUD), are individuals or families without fixed, regular, and suitable overnight housing. Frost proved that even U.S. Congressmen may not have “fixed, regular and suitable overnight residences.”
The National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates that there are about 500,000 homeless citizens. Homelessness advocate Pat Lamarche believes that as many as 12 million people experience homelessness. About 13,000 homeless people die every day, and their life expectancy is about 50 years.
In preparation for moving to the district, a freshman US Congressman representing Florida’s 10th congressional district applied for housing but was denied.
“I applied for an apartment in DC and they told me my credit was very bad. He said I would be fine. Denied and lost my apartment and application fee,” Frost wrote on his official Twitter account. “This is not for people who don’t have money yet.”
Despite his historic victory in the midterm elections, and a salary of over $14,000 a month when he takes office, he’s somewhere to get his head out while fighting for a more inclusive country in Washington. We must campaign to bring it down.
The exorbitant cost of living makes up for the credit dilemma many residents face living in the District of Columbia. Washington is one of the most expensive cities in the United States to live. As of July 2022, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment was $2,410 for him, according to a Bloomberg report. The overall cost of living is 51.2% higher than the national average.
Like many Americans with big dreams, Frost used credit cards to finance his political campaigns. He is one of about 48 million people with FICO scores between his 300 and 579. A low credit score has far-reaching implications. Not only do they have fewer rental options, but consumers are often required to pay a security deposit to pay their utility bills. If you borrow money or buy car insurance, it will be more expensive. Securing employment is more difficult, especially for jobs that require money management.
Frost quit his full-time job, believing he would have to invest his full-time energies as a candidate. I drive an Uber and work 12 hours a day.
According to rentcafe.com, an online information platform that distributes information based on housing-related data, the average credit score required for renters to rent an apartment in 2020 was 638. Creditworthiness may indicate how an applicant manages a property, so applicants with poor creditworthiness are less likely to be approved.
“We’ve seen applicants with vouchers that guarantee monthly payments to their landlords, but they still refuse to apply,” Bridges explains. “Personal credit maintenance gives landlords some indication of how applicants manage their property.”
Credit checks, which are utilized as indicators for judging an applicant’s financial reliability, have historically shown scores to be skewed and perpetuate racial disparities.
Originally from Orlando, Florida, he represents American citizens struggling to manage their day-to-day financial responsibilities. After moving to Florida from North Carolina, aspiring author Dena Rose believed her transition would be seamless.
“DoorDash held me back until I found a permanent job.
Maxwell’s campaign promises said he would win Medicare for everyone and “work to transform the racist criminal justice system and end the climate crisis.” Like Congressman, Frost will have to be creative to get through the housing crisis.
The youngest, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was 27 years old when she was elected to Congress in 2018 and couldn’t afford an apartment in Washington before taking the oath of office. I slept in her office for three months before I did. A few days after the historic election, Cortez tweeted. “There are many small ways our electoral system is not designed (or prepared) for working-class people to lead,” she said.
Casey Burgat, director of legal programs at George Washington University, argues that housing affordability is a universal problem. The lack of affordability “makes Congress just what it has been: a disproportionately wealthy, disproportionately white institution,” he said. It’s not seen as a viable path. We’ve made some improvements in terms of diversity, but we still have a long way to go and the cost of doing so hasn’t come down.”
Frost recognizes that his credit dilemma will be resolved before he turns 30, but many Americans may continue to be handcuffed by increasingly oppressive economic ideologies. there is. “We have to do better for the whole country,” Frost demands.
Reginald Williams, author of A Marginalized Voice: Devalued, Dismissed, Disenfranchized & Demonized, writes about black men and holistic health issues. For more information, please email bookreggie@reginaldwilliams.org or visit amvonlinestore.com.
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