Maybe programmers will adopt a similar model to artists and musicians. Do a lot of work for free/practically nothing hoping that some day you can make it "big" and land a full time role.
What's pushing people out is the rising cost of property, caused by more and more money bidding for less space. If the government had done more to create more space, prices would not have risen so dramatically.
What if government policy for the last few decades had been to keep housing as affordable as possible. So if average rent in a city started increasing, the government would make sure new apartments and got built and/or expanded roads and public transit to help people live farther away without a longer commute.