A recent report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) shows a lack of affordable housing for many Americans.
The Gap: The Affordable Housing Gap Analysis 2016 reports a shortage of 7.2 million affordable and available rental units for the country’s 10.4 million extremely low income (ELI) renter households – those in the bottom 30 percent of income in their communities. In most of the United States, 30 percent area median income is less than the federal poverty level for a family of three.
Seventy-five percent of ELI renter households spend more than half of their income for housing, leaving them at high risk of frequent moves, eviction and homelessness.
The report, based on 2014 American Community Survey data, looks at ELI renter households across the country and in the 50 largest metropolitan areas.
According to the report, there are only 31 affordable and available rental units for every 100 ELI households nationally. The 10.4 million ELI renter households accounted for 24 percent of all renter households in the U.S. For the 4.1 million deeply low income renter households – those with incomes in the bottom 15 percent in their communities – there are only 17 affordable and available rental units per 100 households.
Twenty states have fewer than the national average of 31 affordable and available units per every 100 ELI households. Nevada has the fewest affordable and available rental units, with just 17 per every 100 ELI households. Other states with the greatest shortfalls include Alaska (21/100), California (21/100), Arizona (21/100), Florida (22/100) and Oregon (22/100). No state has more than 64 affordable and available rental units for every 100 ELI renter households.
The states with the greatest percentage of ELI renters spending more than half of their income on housing are Nevada (85 percent), Florida (84 percent), Georgia (81 percent), Oregon (81 percent) and Arizona (81 percent). Every state in the country reported at least half of ELI renters spending more than half of their income on housing.
Among the nation’s largest 100 metropolitan areas, Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida and Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada have the lowest number of rental units affordable and available to ELI renter households, with just 15 units per 100 households. No metropolitan area has more than 46 affordable and available units per 100 ELI households, the report states.
“The gap reveals an alarming reality about housing for extremely low income households,” Dr. Andrew Aurand, vice president research at NLIHC, said in a statement. “What is frustrating is the lack of timely action to address the issue. Millions of people in America are living in unaffordable rental homes. They are forced to cut their spending on food, transportation and health to pay rent.”
The full report is available here.
