May 29, 2016

The depth of our housing problem

Columbia Tribune

Even as the federal government provides housing assistance for 5.5 million households, 7.2 million housing units are needed for more than 10 million extremely low-income families.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro delivered this bad news in a report on housing for low-income renters that is “Out of Reach,” which is the name of the study.

“Our nation can’t fulfill any of our major goals — whether it’s tackling inequality, improving health care, keeping neighborhoods safe, or making sure every child gets a good education — unless we also focus on housing,” Castro wrote in this year’s annual report published by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
The affordable housing situation is bleak. So bleak that “in no state, metropolitan area, or county can a full-time worker earning the prevailing minimum wage afford a modest two-bedroom apartment,” according to the report.

1 comment:

Greg Gerritt said...

In Rhode Island we have construction workers pushing around people at the state housew becsue we oppose building a fracked gas power plant. The construcution unions need to think about cvommunity some as they attempt to adapt to the new economy, hitching their star to fossil fuel criminals does not build community political good will.

Clearly the answer is the 7.2 million affordable rental units. Doing this would not only house the people, it would dampen real estate speculation and help other housing become more affordable. And create thousands of jobs.