Owning a house has become further and further out of reach for many people in the U.S.

And the problem is national.

The median price for a home in the U.S. is now just over $400,000.

A house now costs five years of the median salary for someone working in the

U.S. In some cities on the West Coast and in parts in Florida, it now takes eight years of salary to buy a home.

Rents have also gone up significantly. Since 2020, the nation's average rent is 27 percent higher.

Some cities have seen much bigger jumps. Miami's average rent is 27 percent higher. Some cities have seen much bigger jumps.

Miami's average rent is up 51 percent. Some cities have seen recent declines, but overall,

the cost of rent remains elevated. Housing advocates point to one big cause. The United States has not built enough housing for a growing population, but build more housing

is not a simple remedy to a complex problem. Congress recently turned its attention to the problem

of housing on affordability. The Senate passed a bill this month with a basket of different policies

aiming to bring down the cost of housing and encourage more building.

So what's in the bill specifically and could those policies make a dent in the housing crisis?

And how has the housing crisis evolved in the past few years?

I'm Jen White. You're listening to the 1A podcast. We look at those questions and more right after a short break.

Stay with us.

Let's get into the conversation and meet our guests.

Joining us from New York City is Rhonda Kaysen. She's a real estate reporter at the New York Times.

Rhonda, welcome to the program.

Hi, thank you so much for having me.

And joining us from Oakland, California is David Garcia.

He's the Deputy Director of Policy at the Turner Center for Housing Innovation.

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