Study: Housing Assistance Programs Not Enough for Rural Renters

A chronic economic decline over the last century and a strained housing supply are contributing to a growing housing crisis in rural America, where “one in four rural renters spends more than 50 percent of their income on housing.” Urban Institute researchers interviewed housing and human services providers in 12 rural counties to understand how well these programs are working in rural areas. 

Anna Morgan and Corianne Payton Scally describe the results in Urban Wire. “Human services providers told us the rural families they served lacked affordable housing options and faced additional challenges because of low-paying jobs, poor quality of available housing, and high-cost burdens for renters.” Additionally, providers “shared concerns that federal income requirements for the programs they administer result in benefit cliffs for families, which limits their ability to maintain stable housing and meet basic needs.”

Proposed solutions include expanding federal housing programs in rural areas; partnering with local nonprofits to fill gaps in services, understand specific local needs, and share resources; and delivering services to people’s homes in areas where transportation is often a barrier to accessing resources. 

Boosting support for housing programs is key to the overall social and economic wellbeing of rural communities, the researchers note.