--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A problem as big as the…" description: "\"“A problem as big as the affordable-housing crisis calls for a big solution. It should be at the top of America's domestic-policy agenda - because it i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8e/matthew-desmond-1529_affordable-housing_a-problem-as-big-as-the-affordable-housi_2709860.jpg" --- # A problem as big as the affordable-housing crisis calls… ![“A problem as big as the affordable-housing crisis calls for a big solution. It should be at the top of America's domestic-policy agenda - because it is driving poor families to financial ruin and even starting to engulf families with moderate incomes. Today, over 1 in 5 of all renting families in…” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8e/matthew-desmond-1529_affordable-housing_a-problem-as-big-as-the-affordable-housi_2709860.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8e/matthew-desmond-1529_affordable-housing_a-problem-as-big-as-the-affordable-housi_2709860.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8e/matthew-desmond-1529_affordable-housing_a-problem-as-big-as-the-affordable-housi_2709860.jpg) > ““A problem as big as the affordable-housing crisis calls for a big solution. It should be at the top of America's domestic-policy agenda - because it is driving poor families to financial ruin and even starting to engulf families with moderate incomes. Today, over 1 in 5 of all renting families in the country spends half of its income on housing. America can and should work to make its cities livable again.”” [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The affordable‑housing crisis demands a major policy response to prevent financial ruin. **In simple terms:** Housing costs are crushing families; big solutions needed. Key Takeaway Advocate for comprehensive housing reform. Themes housing policy poverty economics Mood urgent concerned Type political activist When to use this quote - legislative debates - community organizing - budget planning - housing advocacy Key Concepts urban planning social welfare Questions to Reflect On - What policies could most reduce housing cost burdens? - How can citizens influence housing agendas? A Different Perspective Political gridlock may stall solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affordable housing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affordable-housing/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Housing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housing/) [Housing crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housing-crisis/) ## Related quotes > [The standard of 'affordable' housing is that which costs roughly 30 percent or less of a family's income. Because of rising housing costs and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/the-standard-of-affordable-housing-is-that-which-costs-roughly-30/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Families have watched their incomes stagnate, or even fall, while their housing costs have soared. Today, the majority of poor renting families in America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/families-have-watched-their-incomes-stagnate-or-even-fall-while-their/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Today, the majority of poor renting families in America spend over half of their income on housing, and at least one in four dedicates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/today-the-majority-of-poor-renting-families-in-america-spend-over/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“A universal voucher program is but one potential policy recommendation. Let others come. Establishing the basic right to housing in America could be realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-universal-voucher-program-is-but-one-potential-policy/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“The most obvious manifestation of the affordable housing crisis is in rising rents. Between 1900 and 2013, rents rose faster than inflation in virtually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/the-most-obvious-manifestation-of-the-affordable-housing-crisis-is-in/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“A universal housing voucher program would carve a middle path between the landlord’s desire to make a living and the tenant’s desire, simply, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-universal-housing-voucher-program-would-carve-a-middle-path-between/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I don't know whether it's the finest public housing in America or the crown jewel of the American penal system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-don-t-know-whether-it-s-the-finest-public-housing-in-america-or-the/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [“Affordable housing is a human-capital investment, just like job programs or education, one that would strengthen and steady the American workforce.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/affordable-housing-is-a-human-capital-investment-just-like-job/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I don't think that you can address poverty unless you address the lack of affordable housing in the cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-don-t-think-that-you-can-address-poverty-unless-you-address-the/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Do we believe housing is a right and that affordable housing is part of what it should mean to be an American? I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/do-we-believe-housing-is-a-right-and-that-affordable-housing-is-part/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) deems a family that is spending more than 30 percent of its income on housing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/the-u-s-department-of-housing-and-urban-development-hud-deems-a/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [I would guess that there's adequate low-income housing in the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/i-would-guess-that-there-s-adequate-low-income-housing-in-the-country/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [“Already in 2001, 63 percent of very low income households were putting more than half their income toward housing, leaving too little for other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/already-in-2001-63-percent-of-very-low-income-households-were-putting/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [ In fact, Donald \[Trump\] was one of the people who rooted for the housing crisis. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/in-fact-donald-trump-was-one-of-the-people-who-rooted-for-the-housing/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-am-asking-my-attorney-general-to-create-a-special-unit-of-federal/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More by Matthew Desmond > [I don't think we can fix poverty without fixing housing, and I don't think we can address housing without understanding landlords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-don-t-think-we-can-fix-poverty-without-fixing-housing-and-i-don-t/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [If we continue to tolerate this level of poverty in our cities, and go along with eviction as commonplace in poor neighborhoods, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-we-continue-to-tolerate-this-level-of-poverty-in-our-cities-and-go/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [You see one eviction, and you're overcome, but then there's another one and another one and another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/you-see-one-eviction-and-you-re-overcome-but-then-there-s-another-one/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [When I talk to booksellers, they tell me how hard it is to hand-sell some of my books because I do keep popping around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/when-i-talk-to-booksellers-they-tell-me-how-hard-it-is-to-hand-sell/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Housing being a top-order issue for cities is something that's not trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/housing-being-a-top-order-issue-for-cities-is-something-that-s-not/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think that we value fairness in this country. We value equal opportunity. Without a stable home, those ideals really fall apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-that-we-value-fairness-in-this-country-we-value-equal/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Exploitation. Now, there's a word that has been scrubbed out of the poverty debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/exploitation-now-there-s-a-word-that-has-been-scrubbed-out-of-the/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think there are ways that graduate students can fact-check their work. I think there are ways that we can do this that don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-there-are-ways-that-graduate-students-can-fact-check-their/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Fire itself is very beautiful, and there's an attachment to fire that firefighters have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/fire-itself-is-very-beautiful-and-there-s-an-attachment-to-fire-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Sherrena nodded reassuringly and said, almost to herself, “I guess I got to stop feeling sorry for these people because nobody is feeling sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/sherrena-nodded-reassuringly-and-said-almost-to-herself-i-guess-i-got/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Everywhere else, we are someone else, but at home, we remove our masks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/everywhere-else-we-are-someone-else-but-at-home-we-remove-our-masks/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A community that sees so clearly its own disadvantage or its own hardships also has a harder time seeing its potential: its ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-community-that-sees-so-clearly-its-own-disadvantage-or-its-own/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“It was once said that the poor are 'constantly exposed to evidence of their own irrelevance.' Especially for poor African-American families - who live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/it-was-once-said-that-the-poor-are-constantly-exposed-to-evidence-of/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A universal voucher program would change the face of poverty in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-universal-voucher-program-would-change-the-face-of-poverty-in-this/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Wildland firefighters do not enjoy the cultural prestige that structural firefighters do. They do not wax their fire engines and cruise down the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/wildland-firefighters-do-not-enjoy-the-cultural-prestige-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) [Explore all 230 Matthew Desmond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## More Affordable housing quotes > [The people who are working, paying their taxes are put into the system so that affordable housing could be built in neighborhoods that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bolling/the-people-who-are-working-paying-their-taxes-are-put-into-the-system/) [Eric Bolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bolling/) > [There's a major underlying idea as you grow up that you need to just save your money and get that affordable housing at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/there-s-a-major-underlying-idea-as-you-grow-up-that-you-need-to-just/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [ “One \[project of Teddy Cruz's\] is titled Living Rooms at the Border. it takes a piece of land with an unused church zoned for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/one-project-of-teddy-cruz-s-is-titled-living-rooms-at-the-border-it/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [If you really believe that you're making a difference and that you can leave a legacy of better schools and jobs and safer streets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/if-you-really-believe-that-you-re-making-a-difference-and-that-you/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) > [There are masses of people who need affordable housing in New York. I think that, politically, it is very difficult to give preference to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-zukin/there-are-masses-of-people-who-need-affordable-housing-in-new-york-i/) [Sharon Zukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-zukin/) > [“This city-and-corporate-led “pro-arts” agenda runs the risk of not only driving out present art-making residents out via a combination of gate-keeping and escalating living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-city-and-corporate-led-pro-arts-agenda-runs-the-risk-of-not-only/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We will primarily focus on affordable housing, water supply and transport infrastructure, as these are critical for Mumbai. Infrastructure deficit is an issue in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharad-pawar/we-will-primarily-focus-on-affordable-housing-water-supply-and/) [Sharad Pawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharad-pawar/) > [Quality, affordable housing is a key element of a strong and secure Iowa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/quality-affordable-housing-is-a-key-element-of-a-strong-and-secure/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No segment of the population has lost more by the agendas of the liberal constituencies of the Democratic Party than the black population. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/no-segment-of-the-population-has-lost-more-by-the-agendas-of-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [We know we've got a problem attracting to certain areas because of the cost of living, so we're thinking about things from how do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacinda-ardern/we-know-we-ve-got-a-problem-attracting-to-certain-areas-because-of/) [Jacinda Ardern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacinda-ardern/) > [I have done a lot of work for affordable housing, rental housing. I understand the rap on me and other liberals is, oh, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barney-frank/i-have-done-a-lot-of-work-for-affordable-housing-rental-housing-i/) [Barney Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barney-frank/) > [I will fight for affordable housing for teachers, police, fire fighters, and families in all our neighborhoods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-breed/i-will-fight-for-affordable-housing-for-teachers-police-fire-fighters/) [London Breed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-breed/) > [As cities get more dense, you have people saying, "Why would you have an urban farm when you could have affordable housing on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novella-carpenter/as-cities-get-more-dense-you-have-people-saying-why-would-you-have-an/) [Novella Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novella-carpenter/) > [Do we believe housing is a right and that affordable housing is part of what it should mean to be an American? I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/do-we-believe-housing-is-a-right-and-that-affordable-housing-is-part/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A strong economy causes an increase in the demand for housing; the increased demand for housing drives real-estate prices and rentals through the roof.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-baldwin/a-strong-economy-causes-an-increase-in-the-demand-for-housing-the/) [William Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-baldwin/) [Browse all 81 Affordable housing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affordable-housing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A problem as big as the affordable-housing crisis calls for a big solution. It should be at the top of America's domestic-policy agenda - because it is driving poor families to financial ruin and even starting to engulf families with moderate incomes. 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