Incoming Rep. Max Frost Plans to ‘Couch Surf’ in DC Because He Can’t Get an Apartment
The rental market in Washington, DC is notoriously expensive and hard to navigate. Even the first Gen Z member of Congress is having such trouble navigating the system, he’s still without a Washington address as the House comes to session.
Florida Democrat Maxwell Alejandro Frost, representing Central Florida’s 10th Congressional District, said on a Sunday morning news show that he still hasn’t gotten a lease since being elected in November.
Speaking on This Week with George Stephanopoulos on ABC, the 25-year-old explained that things haven’t fallen into place yet for him. “I’m dealing with it right now, trying to get an apartment, trying to figure out where to live because I have bad credit. I’m probably just going to have to couch surf for a little bit.”
News website Florida Politics reported that Frost’s win gave him the opportunity to call out the economic hardship that disadvantages “working class” people like him from running for office. As a candidate in a year-long race, Frost accumulated campaign debt despite gig work, including being a rideshare driver for a time.
In an interview with Florida Politics last month, the congressman-elect, who drove part-time for Uber said, “The system as far as entering office, particularly serving in Washington, D.C., is not really created for working-class people, for poor people or for people who had troubles in their past.”
Washington, D.C. ranks as a top metropolitan area for rent growth. While individuals under 25 make up a large portion of the DC housing market, applications from Gen Z individuals are up 92% over 2020, according to Rent Cafe. In addition to climbing rental rates, in a city where the average rent is $2,600 each month, DC is experiencing increased demand for rental units as people are moving back into cities after the COVID-19 quarantines.
In the meantime, Frost continues to wait for a lease, and he continues to wait to officially begin as a Congressman. He tweeted out his frustration that coming to Washington brought yet another unexpected snafu.
Frost made it clear that despite some other politicians (such as Florida Gov Ron DeSantis) who elect to sleep in their office to save money, he’s happier on a friend’s couch than literally on the floors of Congress.
