BUFFALO, N.Y. — Advocates for fair housing are pushing back against high rent prices for some rental apartments.

“The people who have lived here 30 years, 20 years, have generational housing, deserve to see their communities developed and experience the nice coffee shops, experience the nice restaurants,” said Stephanie Mejia, a former renter and graduate student at Syracuse University studying Buffalo housing policies in relation to racism, equitability and impact on social determinants of health.

The latest Consumer Price Index Summary stated that the greatest strain on the rising cost of living is shelter. In Buffalo, a one-bedroom apartment’s fair market rent is suggested to be $908/month by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Some listings in the city go for nearly twice that. Economists said housing cost should account for 30% or less of a person’s annual income. In Buffalo, the median income per person $27,157.  

“At some point, that has to break down because there are only so many people in Western New York,” said Fred Floss, economics professor at Buffalo State University. “It’s not like we’re growing by tens and twenties of thousands of people every year that need new housing.”

He said the nation is not in a recession but the economy is beginning to slow down.