Affordable Single-Family Rental Housing Supply Needs a Boost

Lower-income family households face the most challenges in finding appropriate rental housing, according to a new paper from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard. Researchers Whitney Airgood-Obrycki and Jennifer Molinsky assessed housing based on affordability, size, and availability. They find that the biggest supply gap—the difference between the number of households needing housing and the number of available units—is for extremely low-income families, particularly those looking for two-bedroom units.

All regions in the country have a supply gap, with the largest gap located in the West. When examining four metropolitan areas, the researchers find that Boston and Chicago have smaller gaps in affordable housing supply than Los Angeles and Atlanta. They also report that single-family rentals are an important source of housing, making up 20 percent of affordable and available housing for lower-income families.

Increasing the low-income rental housing supply is essential, along with expansion of federal rental assistance programs for families, say Airgood-Obrycki and Molinsky. "At the local level, communities that have inclusionary housing programs might consider requiring that a certain share of units be sized for families. Municipalities might also evaluate whether putting resources into affordable housing for students or young professionals would reduce some of the competition for family-friendly rental housing."