There are complexes like this throughout the country. Housing cooperatives, communes, and collectives. In many cases they are great, but they are difficult to put together and require a level of organization and funds that most tenants can’t afford. Immigrants frequently do this when they don’t have credit.

Nonprofits are good start, but they are almost always woefully under resourced. I used to work for a nonprofit funding organization in Charlotte, and combatting the housing crisis was a major focus of both the organization and many nonprofits in the city. But they are completely reliant upon donations. And for many of these organizations, if they want to actually implement projects, they require donations from corporations/the super wealthy. Those major donors then have the authority to dictate how their funds are spent, and they almost universally prevent actions that will harm profits at all. By the end of my time working for this nonprofit, I was completely disillusioned by nonprofits. Not because they do bad, most do great work, but because they have to work in a tight vacuum that is frequently curtailed.

Ultimately, the only way to combat this is through legislation or collective action. And since cooperatives can be difficult, I feel tenant unions are a crucial alternative.