As the nation faces potential cuts to federal housing programs, there is a shortage of 7.1 million affordable and available rental homes, reveals the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC).
In its annual “The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes” report, NLIHC finds there are only 35 affordable and available homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households.
“This year’s report demonstrates that renters with the lowest incomes continue to face a dire shortage of affordable housing options nationwide. Our neighbors who are seniors, people with disabilities, and those with low wages are most severely impacted,” said Renee Willis, NLIHC interim president and CEO. “Proposals to cut funding for the housing programs that serve our neighbors most in need or dismantle the institutions that serve them are nothing short of attacks on our communities. Our country needs bipartisan leadership to address the housing crisis—a crisis spanning both Republican and Democratic administrations—not ideologically driven assaults on seniors, people with disabilities, and low-wage workers struggling with housing instability.”
States with the most severe shortages—Nevada, Oregon, California, Arizona, and Texas—have fewer than 30 affordable rental homes available for every 100 extremely low-income renters. Nevada has just 17. Even states with the least severe shortages face significant shortfalls. North Dakota, which has the least severe shortage, has only 62 rental homes affordable and available for every 100 extremely low-income renters.
Major metropolitan areas do not fare any better. Among the 50 largest metros, the relative supply of affordable and available rental homes ranges from 13 for every 100 extremely low-income renters in Las Vegas to 52 for every 100 extremely low-income renters in Pittsburgh.
To learn more, read “The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes.”
