


Nancy and her mom, Mia, sat in their kitchen, sharing a warm bowl of soup in their cozy little house. A sharp knock echoed through the house.



Who's that?
It’s Lawrence!

Mia frowned slightly.
It was their landlord.


Mia opened the door.




Hey, Mr. Lawrence!
How are you?
I'm doing quite well, thank you. I’ve got some news—starting next month, your rent’s going up $500.

$500?!





That’s too much—the rent’s already such a heavy burden. We can’t handle more!
This is a notice, not a discussion.








Lawrence left.
Mia slumped back to the table, her face tight.
Don’t worry, Nancy.
I’ll pick up extra hours at work
But you already work 10 hours a day! That’s too much for you, Mom. Maybe we should move somewhere else instead?


The next day, The doorbell rang again, bright and quick.
Nancy bolted to the door and flung it open. Ceci, Nancy's friend, grinned, and they hugged tight.



Sure!

Do you wanna hang out with me?





$500?! Ours went up $300—Dad says not having rent control’s the problem.
Rent control?
What’s up? You’re quiet.
Our landlord increased our rent by $500. We might have to move.
“It’s a law,” Ceci said. “It keeps rent from jumping too much—with rent control, rent can go up a little bit, not $500!"
“But what can we do?” Nancy asked. “My family might move.”
“Move where?” asked Ceci, kicking the dirt beside her.
“Somewhere cheaper,” Nancy said. “If we find a cheap place, would you come too? We could be neighbors again!”
“I’d love that,” she finally said. “But moving’s tricky and expensive. Too many unknowns. I’m scared we’d land somewhere unsafe—or super gross”
“Gross?” Nancy tilted her head.
“You know,” Ceci said. “Cheap houses can be awful—creepy and horrible!”
Ceci starts to imagine, her voice dropping to a dramatic whisper.
Imagine this: a house that always smells moldy, with flickering dim lights, cracked walls, and creaky floors. And that’s not even the worst part! The neighbors could be total weirdos. My friend told me about places with wandering zombies, trolls, a vampire next door, and… aliens snatching people off the street!







Okay, you’re scaring me! Maybe no vampires, but I still don't want to live in a creepy house!

At home, Mia scrolled her laptop, eyes red.
“Finding help, Mom?” asked Nancy, hovering.
“I’ve been searching everywhere, Nancy. I found some government housing subsidies and programs online, but most places have long waitlists…” Mia groaned.
“What about Home Sweet Hope?” exclaimed Nancy. “Ceci’s uncle tried them!”
“I called them last week,” she said. “Let’s see if they have any updates”
“Hello?” Mia spoke into the phone.






What’d they say?
Home Sweet Hope’s got us a place!
What’s it like there?
No idea, but at least the rent’s stable and not gonna increase like $500!

Nancy taped boxes, preparing to move, Ceci helped her mom pack.



I’ll miss you so much, Ceci. I’ll call you every day, okay?


Sure!



After they finished packing, Nancy went to bed. In her mind, shadowy figures and bad guys circled, growling and banging on the walls. Suddenly, Superwoman bursts through the sky. Then, she knocked out the troll. Nancy drifted to sleep, a small smile on her face.




In the morning it was moving day. The car stopped at a funky community—a weedy yard, crooked gates that squeaked like a frog. It wasn’t perfect, but not a troll cave either.





It’s different, but not awful.
This is Home Sweet Hope’s find. Rent’s going to stay low.

Steven, a guy with tools who’d waved as they arrived, called from outside.
Welcome! Moving go okay?


Not bad! Way better than my nightmares! I dreamed of monsters and a troll swamp!


Steven laughed loud, slapping his knee.
“What are you doing?” asked Mia, nodding at his tools.
“Prepping for new houses,” Steven said. “Renovation stuff.”
“New houses?” Nancy tilted her head.
“Oh, right!” exclaimed Steven. “I didn’t tell you yet—our community just won a protest! We pushed for more affordable housing zones, and the city said yes. Home Sweet Hope is building next door now!”
“That’s awesome!” Nancy beamed.


Nancy skipped outside, spotting neighbors. She waved at a woman, who was sweeping her stoop.


I'm Nancy. What's your name?
I'm Mrs. Lopez. I live here because I had a lot of medical bills and then my rent tripled. I'm glad I found this place.
Then Mrs. Lopez introduced Nancy to Mr. Wen next door.
"How did you come to live here?" Nancy asked.
“I lost my job,” Mr. Wen grunted. “Then my rent increase by $400.”
“It was $500 for us,” Nancy said. “It’s the same!”

Nancy paused, kicking a pebble. Everyone’s story sounded like hers—trapped by rent.
“How come so many of us have this problem?” asked Nancy, frowning.
“No idea,” Ms. Lopez shrugged. “It’s tough out there.”
“But my friend told me about something called rent control!” exclaimed Nancy, turning to Steven. "How do we get a law like that?"
“Yeah! Maybe we can push for rent control—there’s an election coming up, and we’re getting it on the ballot!” Steven suggested, eyes twinkling. “That’s how we start!”




I can help—making calls to spread the word!


And I can organize the volunteers.
Let’s do it!
I can make signs for the protest.
- Full access to our public library
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Nancy and her mom, Mia, sat in their kitchen, sharing a warm bowl of soup in their cozy little house. A sharp knock echoed through the house.



Who's that?
It’s Lawrence!

Mia frowned slightly.
It was their landlord.


Mia opened the door.




Hey, Mr. Lawrence!
How are you?
I'm doing quite well, thank you. I’ve got some news—starting next month, your rent’s going up $500.

$500?!

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