Abstract
Housing is vital to the protection of individual human life and liberty, yet so many Americans find themselves housing insecure. This study examines housing insecurity in Binghamton, New York, its causes, and potential solutions through the use of interviews and participant observations. Despite the surplus of available housing and low demand, Binghamton's affordable housing problem seems to be a result of the university student presence in the city and the profit incentives of landlords. Public housing solutions tend to be most effective at eliminating these particular issues, suggesting the city should allocate more resources to providing affordable housing to its residents in need.