Bourgette's situation is part of a broader dispute at 388 Roncesvalles Avenue, where tenants are at odds with the building's owners over eviction notices and the future of the property.
Threshold, Age Action and the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) warn the proposal could negatively affect students and older people who may be pressured by family members seeking to benefit from their property.
Councilmember Lucas Ramirez raised concerns that the bike lanes were being used as a pretext for getting rid of the RVs, leading to the decision to shelve the project.
The cost rose a lot following the pandemic. And some of that was supply chain issues that really increased the costs, and then they didn't quite come back down. And now tariffs are also impacting some products. These costs are part of the reason the amount of new rental housing stock is shrinking.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, rents have jumped nearly 28% in past five years. Companies such as Flex, Livble and, more recently, Affirm, say breaking rent into multiple payments can help renters manage cash flow. But consumer advocates warn the products typically function like short-term loans, layering fees onto already strained budgets and, in some cases, carrying triple-digit effective interest rates - raising questions about whether they ease financial pressure or deepen it.