![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Only regulation can solve housing crisis
March 8, 2020
In San Francisco, the median house costs $1.00 million — 5.7 times the national median, which remains at $244,000, according to data from Zillow. A two-bedroom apartment in SF would set you back $3,090 per month, 2.6 times the national median of $1,090, according to reports from Apartment List.
In the heart of Silicon Valley, major tech companies have contributed to rapid growth, creating an exorbitantly rich economy. At the same time, however, the inevitable influx of skilled, highly-paid software workers since the beginning of the Dot-Com-Boom in the 1990s has led to extreme gentrification, often disproportionately affecting neighborhoods with large minority populations. For instance, the number of minority households has declined by 21% from 2000 to 2015, according to research from the Urban Displacement project from UC Berkeley.
As companies like Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple attract more workers, increasing demand causes prices to skyrocket, driving out working-class individuals.
We cannot simply deregulate housing and hope that the invisible hand of the free market will discover a morally suitable solution. Apple is a trillion-dollar company. Amazon has been flirting with the threshold for a year. If left unregulated, these companies will act in their own self-interest, continuing to expand at the expense of working-class and minority Bay Area residents.
Through increased zoning laws and permanent housing, local governments can curb the gentrification of these neighborhoods, finally serving their low-income citizens. Stricter inclusionary zoning laws should be adopted, encouraging the building of affordable, low-cost housing units and forcing technology companies to play a greater role in solving the problems they created. Although corporations such as Apple, Google and Facebook have all voluntarily pledged money for affordable housing, they can — and should — do more than throw money at a problem they helped cause in return for good press.
Furthermore, with a “housing first” approach that emphasizes permanent supportive housing, governments can help support these individuals by providing them with services to confront health and drug problems. Investing in long-term solutions has proven to be less expensive than costly, ineffective shelters and institutional care.
In an economy grown prosperous with the boom of big tech, we cannot continue to ignore the problems that have come with this rapid expansion. Housing is a basic human right. Through increased regulation and intervention, we must repurpose profits to helping these homeless individuals.
This article was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on March 2, 2020.
