When he's sworn into office next month, Florida Democrat Maxwell Frost will become the first member of Generation Z to become a member of Congress in U.S. history; an auspicious milestone for the 25-year-old and the House of Representatives at large. For now, though, the onetime progressive activist-turned-legislator has more immediate concerns on his mind — one shared by millions of his generational peers, as well: finding an affordable place to live amidst skyrocketing house and rental prices.
"Just applied to an apartment in DC where I told the guy that my credit was really bad. He said I'd be fine," Frost tweeted on Thursday morning, offering the public a glimpse at the unglamorous realities of life in the nation's capital.
"Got denied, lost the apartment, and the application fee," Frost continued, concluding that "this ain't meant for people who don't already have money."
Frost, who will replace outgoing Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), later shared that the source of his self-professed "bad credit" was the very same reason he's looking for an apartment in D.C. to begin with: his run for Congress, from which he "ran up a lot of debt" not covered by his previous work as an Uber driver.
In a recent interview, Frost said he was largely crashing on friends' couches in the area for the weeks leading up to his first congressional paycheck next month. He also said he was hoping to rent a studio apartment close enough to the Capitol building that he could simply walk or scooter to work. According to data analyzed by Rent.com, the average monthly cost of a studio apartment in D.C. is $1,952, up three percent over last year.
Fellow congressional Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) shared similar frustrations during her transition period into Washington, D.C. life in 2018, sharing in an interview with The New York Times that "I have three months without a salary before I'm a member of Congress. So, how do I get an apartment? Those little things are very real."