A Tennessee woman’s search for housing after a $500 rent hike
A Tennessee woman’s search for housing after a $500 rent hike
In order for her teenage children to have the two bedrooms, Ellen Mahurin used to sleep on the couch in the Franklin, Tennessee, town home she found quickly after her and her husband separated. The baseline rent — $1,281 per month — took about half of the $15 hourly income she made working as a receptionist. When she learned her out-of-state landlord would be raising her rent by more than $500 per month, she knew she had to find somewhere else to live.
Her search for housing in the Nashville area, where rents have increased about 19% since 2020, illustrates the hurdles many renters face, from scam listings to confusing requirements for income-restricted apartments.
“What is the option for me — do I look into homeless shelters? I’ve never in my life not been able to afford a two-bedroom apartment on a modest salary,” Mahurin said in an interview with Ambriehl Crutchfield of WPLN in Nashville.
Click the audio player above to hear Mahurin’s apartment-hunting story.
Stories You Might Like
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
