I certainly sympathize with Ms. Barrett and others like her. But, as a successful magazine editor, she, and likely her boyfriend are middle class professionals. With two middle class incomes, $2000 a month for an apartment should not be a problem.

   Think about the working poor, minimum wage workers, welfare recipients, the unemployed, the disabled, part-time workers, the homeless, ordinary workers, singles, single moms...
     Rent for them isn't merely difficult, it's practically impossible.
  We've all had at least 30 or 40 years of warning of this rental disaster.

  First they came for the folks on social assistance, then they came for the working poor, then they came for the working class.
   When they came for the middle class it suddenly became an issue. Sad.