A man carries a sleeping bag at a homeless encampment in Portland, Maine, in May, before city workers arrived to clean the area. State officials say a lack of affordable housing is behind a sharp rise in chronic homelessness. Robert F. Bukaty/AP hide caption
A customer shops for meat at a Safeway store in San Rafael, Calif., on April 12, 2023. Consumer prices eased slightly in April from the previous month but are still too high for the Fed's comfort. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
A major rail union voted against a proposed contract, threatening a rail strike. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption
A driver pumps gas at a Gulf gas station in Lynnfield, Mass., on July 19. Gasoline prices are dropping, which is helping bring down inflation. But the cost of many other things are still climbing. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Ari and TR Brooks stood on the land where their new home would be built the day they agreed to buy it back in February of 2021. But the home is still not completed and mortgage rates have risen dramatically. TR Brooks hide caption
College students Sanaa Sodhi, right, and Cheryl Tugade look for apartments in Berkeley, Calif. in March of this year. Eric Risberg/AP hide caption
The soaring costs of basic necessities such as food and housing are disproportionately hitting people with lower incomes. Here, a house is available for rent in Los Angeles on March 15. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption
Erica Cuellar, her husband and her daughter moved in with her father in his home early in the pandemic, after she lost her job. She and her husband were worried they wouldn't be able to afford the rent on their house in Houston with only one income. In July 2020, the whole family tested positive for the coronavirus. Michael Starghill for NPR hide caption
Barbara Gaught stands outside the home she's now renting in Billings, Mont., with her 5-year-old son, Blazen, and their dog, Arie. Gaught and her family were evicted from the mobile home they had owned outright and lived in for 16 years because they fell behind on 'lot rent' for the little plot of land under the mobile home. Louise Johns for NPR hide caption
Katherine Patterson, a single mother with a 3-year-old son, who lives in Kenner, La., lost her job last March and has had trouble since paying rent. Katherine Patterson hide caption
It's the first of the month, and rent is due for millions of Americans. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption
Terrell Walker says that her apartment in Washington, D.C., has mold and problems with heating and old appliances. She's been withholding rent in an effort to get her landlord to fix up the apartment. Pam Fessler/NPR hide caption
Meagen Limes of Washington, D.C., is struggling to pay rent on the apartment where she lives with her 4-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter. Pam Fessler/NPR hide caption
A luxury residential building at 432 Park Ave. (center) is seen in the Manhattan skyline. Rents have soared as demand for apartments outpaces the number available, even with the oversupply of expensive apartments. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption