The past two installments of the four-part housing education series have defined the housing crisis and the economic policies that sustain it. Restrictive zoning laws, a struggling construction industry, and decades of a lack of investment in affordable housing have brought us here, but current policies continue to deepen the crisis. Today, we’ll look at...Lee mas

For the past several months, a growing coalition of tenant leaders, housing advocates, legal experts, and community leaders in Springfield has been working toward a game-changing goal: securing a Right to Counsel (RTC) for tenants facing eviction. The problem is clear—eviction courts are fundamentally unbalanced. Across the country, landlords almost always have legal representation, while...Lee mas

This week, Governor Kehoe signed SB 4, an omnibus utility bill that changes financing for utility companies. The bill adds more ways for utility companies to shift costs to consumers and increase utility bills. Empower Missouri denounces this change for these reasons: Consumers Council of Missouri estimates that SB 4 will raise utility bills by...Lee mas

Last month, Empower Missouri launched a new educational series on the American housing crisis.  In our March piece, we focused on sharing statistics on the decrease of new home builds across the country and the resulting impact on both renters and aspiring homeowners. Today, we’re going to look at some of the underlying factors that...Lee mas

The Housing Crisis: A Community Issue Affordable housing is one of those phrases that is often seen as a problem for families earning low incomes; however, all Missourians have felt the impacts of the housing crisis. In 2024, Missouri experienced the largest rent increase in the country, and the cost of homeownership continued to rise....Lee mas

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – 11 March 2025 — On Monday, March 10, HB 595 was passed by Missouri’s Senate Committee on Local Government, Elections, and Pensions, moving us one step closer to enshrining discrimination against Missouri’s poorest tenants into state law. HB 595, and its companion bill, SB 507, would prevent municipalities in Missouri from...Lee mas

Last week Empower Missouri was joined by almost 200 advocates, community members, and supporters for our Day of Action at the State Capitol. It was a fantastic day of advocacy, camaraderie, and community. Attendees reached every corner of the Capitol, and it seemed like every time I turned a corner or stepped onto the elevator,...Lee mas

Date: February 19, 2025 To: Chairman Brown and Members, Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee From: Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, Chief of Policy Staff, Empower Missouri Re: Our support for SB 64 Empower Missouri has spent more than 120 years fighting poverty in Missouri. Today, we come to present testimony on a bill which specifically targets our...Lee mas

At Empower Missouri, we believe in the power of ordinary people organizing for extraordinary change. Our Housing Justice Fellowship (HJF) is designed to bring that vision to life, with a commitment that aligns deeply with Missouri’s own state motto: “The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law.” For us, that means safe, affordable...Lee mas