[thomastjeffery]

> Meanwhile, there is a moratorium on evictions so cheaper apartments are not becoming available at a natural rate.

If there weren't a moratorium, then there would be a surge of homelessness. Is that somehow better?

The amount of available high-end apartments never mattered to the people who couldn't afford them. Where the rich people move has literally zero effect on that.

The fact that rich people are leaving "high-end" apartments vacant should demand that rent go down in those apartments. That's what would be happening if supply and demand actually had an effect. Instead, even with significantly fewer tenants, landlords are still able to charge obscene rates for their "high-end" apartments, leaving no supply for the growing population of poor.

So what part of this is inflammatory click-bait? The rich are getting a break (more housing opportunities at lower cost) while the poor are getting shafted (fewer housing opportunities at higher cost).

This isn't just about zoning and NIMBYism. The housing exists, and so do the people who can't afford it. Landlords are simply demanding a higher return than the poor can afford, without a care in the world about homelessness, just as every socialist in history predicted. This is a system of greed, and we desperately need it to change.