continues to decrease, according to a new report just issued by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
Noting that the gap between what was needed and what was attainable was at its worst during the first 12 months of the Covid 19 outbreak, when rent costs increased by 22%, the report documents a decline of some one million available units for lower-income renters during that same time period.
Matters have only marginally improved since the pandemic, contends the report, Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes. “Though inflation has cooled and rent prices have flattened entering 2023,” the document says, “the nation’s lowest-income rents still face enormous challenges finding and maintaining safe and affordable rental housing.”
Currently, those who are categorized as “extremely low-income renters” are looking at a shortage of 7.3 million affordable units, which means that there are today only 33 such units for every 100 low-income renters.
The situation is the most challenging in the West, with Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and California having only 17 rental units available for every 100 extremely low-income renters. States with the highest relative rental units are South Dakota, with 58 available units per 100 low-income renters, Rhode Island at 53, Mississippi at 51, West Virginia at 50, and North Dakota, also at 50.
In terms of homes, the study shows 24 available residences for every 100 extreme low-income renters; in Colorado the numbers are 26 for every 100; while New Mexico comes in at 36 homes for every 100 low income renters.
Sizing up the statistics, Diane Yentel, chief executive officer of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said the report is only the most recent evidence that “federal housing investments are more critical than ever for sustaining our communities and helping low-income people thrive.”
By Garry Boulard
