Report: No City or State in the U.S. Has Enough Housing for Low-Income Residents

"The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Rental Homes" illustrates the depth of the nation's rental housing affordability crisis.

2 minute read

March 14, 2019, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Affordable Rental Housing

National Low-Income Housing Coalition / The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Rental Homes

The National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released its annual report on the state of the nation's housing today, and the picture is bleak.

"Today, more than 8 million Americans spend more than half their income on housing, meaning that these severely rent-burdened households have little left every month to pay for food, transportation, and healthcare," writes Patrick Sisson to share the news about the report. "No state or city in the entire country has an adequate supply of housing for extremely low-income housing population; California alone is short one million units."

It isn't just California getting a bad wrap with the findings of the report. As noted in local coverage for the Houston Chronicle by reporter Sarah Smith, "Houston is the least-affordable city in Texas for extremely low income renters..."

"Texas has fewer affordable units per 100 households for people of extremely low income than the country as a whole, per the report, coming out ahead of only six states. The national average is 37 homes per 100 extremely low income renters; Houston, however, only has 19 homes for that demographic," adds Smith.

Returning again to Sisson's coverage of the report, the current presidential administration and the upcoming presidential election also feature prominently in the narrative about the state of the nation's housing market.

The Trump administration completely fails to address the affordable housing crisis, or propose any new policies or programs that could help alleviate the strain. "The Trump administration, in its latest budget proposal, suggests slashing funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by more than 16 percent, with those cuts affecting public housing and the maintenance and improvement of public housing buildings, and wants to add work requirements to existing programs," according to Sisson.

On a press call to promote the new report, Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the NLIHC, contrasted those proposals with those of Democratic presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren. According to Yentel, the housing programs proposed by senators Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, "offer bold solutions, 'the likes of which, in scale and scope, we haven’t seen in decades.'"

Thursday, March 14, 2019 in Curbed

Sweeping view of Portland, Oregon with Mt. Hood in background against sunset sky.

Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary

Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.

March 12, 2024 - Housing Wire

Aerial view of green roofs with plants in Sydney, Australia.

Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024

A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.

March 10, 2024 - Daily Journal of Commerce

Cobblestone street with streetcar line, row of vintage streetlights on left, and colorful restaurant and shop awnings on right on River Street in Savannah, Georgia.

Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts

From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.

March 12, 2024 - Strong Towns

Aerial View of Chuckanut Drive and the Blanchard Bridge in the Skagit Valley.

Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding

The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.

March 18 - The Seattle Times

Historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles with large "Pan American Lofts" sign on side of building.

Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly

The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.

March 18 - Beverly Press

View from above of swan-shaped paddleboats with lights on around artesian fountain in Echo Park Lake with downtown Los Angeles skylien in background at twilight.

LA's Top Parks, Ranked

TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.

March 18 - TimeOut

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.