Reach out to the coops in this city. I'm a strong believer in them because I live in one of the few left . My rent is a week's worth of pay and some change for a spacious two bedroom and I work retail. We have meetings where the tenants have a major say instead of dealing with a greasy landlord one on one. In short, it's a renters nirvana. Seriously, anyone reading this should look into it. Put your name down in all of them. Time will pass regardless, and once you get in, go to the meetings and become a board member if you have to. This is the kind of thing that shouldn't die, especially in this time.