Housing protesters yell at a rally outside of City Hall in Oakland. Jeff Chiu/AP Photo The world is trapped in a housing shortage, and governments are stepping up to solve the problem. The pandemic sparked a global buying spree, but a lack of available homes has sent prices skyrocketing. Millennials are demanding help as they face being locked out of the market during peak homebuying age. See more stories on Insider's business page. Prospective homebuyers are at their wits' end, and not just in America.