Housing advocates are increasingly demanding more affordable housing for low-income individuals and families. They are doing this under the guise of “tenants’ rights.” But all individuals—including tenants—have rights. Specifically, they have the right to produce or earn more affordable housing.
Like any value, housing must be produced. Like any value that one desires, one can produce affordable housing for oneself or one can earn it by producing and trading. The affordability of housing, like the affordability of smart phones, televisions, automobiles, and every other product on the market is a function of the product’s price and one’s income. The greater one’s income, the greater one’s options regarding what constitutes an affordable product, including housing.
Every individual has the freedom to increase his income through education, training, and hard work. Every individual has the freedom to earn more and make smart phones, televisions, automobiles, and every other product, including housing, more affordable. If an individual desires more affordable products, including housing, then he must exercise his freedom to earn it.
Unfortunately, many government policies prevent the ambitious poor from exercising their freedom. Minimum wage laws prevent them from working for a wage below that set by government, and so they are deprived the freedom to develop jobs skills and improve their marketability. Occupational licensing laws prevent them from offering services without first obtaining the government’s permission, and so they are deprived of the freedom to enter the profession of their choosing.
To demand more affordable housing without making the requisite effort to earn it is to demand manna from heaven (or taxpayers). It is a demand that others provide values that one has not earned. It means that others must produce those values and then give them away. We would recognize the injustice of this if it were applied to the producers of smart phones, televisions, automobiles, and nearly any other product. It is equally unjust when applied to housing. Rather than demand more affordable housing for free, housing advocates should be demanding more economic freedom.