Regardless of who wins in November, Congress and the next administration must act boldly to help the 11 million housing insecure households who pay more than half of their incomes on rent. They often face difficult choices between paying rent and buying groceries or seeing a doctor. In the worst cases, they become homeless.

While the recent rise in poverty may be attributed to poor economic growth policies during the Obama Administration, the sustained high rates of poverty over the past 50 years are striking evidence that it is time for new approaches to support economic success.