The talk is about rent because poor people rent and there are policy options that effect rental prices directly, rather than as a byproduct. Eg in NYC there are

The talk is about rent because poor people rent and there are policy options that effect rental prices directly, rather than as a byproduct. Eg in NYC there are many co-op buildings that forbid renting units, or the idea of rent control, or housing vouchers or public housing. I think that policy options that effect supply are the ones I would prefer, but we can't ignore other options.