Columbia Tenants Union calls for stronger renter protections
Euphenie Andre
Columbia, MO. (KMIZ)
A group of Columbia residents gathered Saturday afternoon to share personal stories and frustrations about the challenges of renting in a city that’s growing faster than many can afford to keep up with.
Organized by the Columbia Tenants Union, the meeting gave renters a platform to voice their concerns and propose solutions. Among them was Pamela Hildebrand, a senior resident who says the cost of living is making it harder for working families to stay afloat.
“Most of us live month to month,” Hildebrand said. “We don’t have the money to invest in another place, so we’re kind of stuck.”
Hildebrand said the rising cost of rent is becoming impossible to manage.
“When I first moved in, rent was $593. Now it’s $908, and next year it’s going up to $971,” Hildebrand said. “What’s going on? Why are all these properties increasing like this? It doesn’t make any sense. A lot of us are at the brink of homelessness because we just can’t afford it anymore.”
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2023, 51.5% of Columbia residents were renters, while 48.5% owned their homes. That means rental issues impact the majority of the city’s population, and many of them are feeling the pressure.
Columbia First Ward Councilwoman Valerie Carroll attended the meeting and said the concerns raised are ones she’s heard many times before.
“I’ve heard a hundred stories like this, and I know it’s an issue.” Caroll said. “It makes me feel like the time is right to empower renters, and to make sure we have city ordinances that protect them.”
Across Columbia, new housing developments are rising rapidly, something residents said can be positive, but only if tenants are treated fairly and not priced out of their own neighborhoods.
On Thursday, realtors and developers appeared before the Columbia City Council, requesting zoning changes to allow them to build more housing or divide properties into smaller lots for sale. The goal? To meet the growing demand.
Younger renters, particularly students, say one of the most stressful challenges they face is the gap between leases.
“I’m subleasing an apartment downtown, and my lease ends July 31st,” said college student Benji Shafiro. “But the semester starts around August 16th, so I’m really on my own trying to find somewhere to live in the meantime.”
The pressure on Columbia’s housing market has only intensified in recent years. Between 2018 and 2020, an estimated 9,000 people moved to the city. Since 2021, that number has jumped to over 24,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
As Columbia continues to grow, renters say they want to grow with it, not be left behind.
“We have a ton of new development going on and I think that’s extremely positive,” Carroll said. “But I also think we need legislation that connects units to affordability. We need more legislation supporting affordable housing and connecting that to creation of affordable dwelling units that are reserved below median incomes so that some can afford it on 30% of their salary.”
The Columbia Tenants Union plans to continue meeting with city officials, pushing for rent control measures, shorter lease gaps, and stronger legal protections for tenants.
“I am just so thrilled to be able to get this feedback from the community and be able to organize just our thoughts first and for everyone to be heard,” said Leader Organizer, Jack Dobbs, “We’re dealing with a lot of tough problems and we have a lot of issues that make us really frustrated as a group.”