With rapidly rising costs of living, one study shows the number of homeless in the nation's capital is double the national average.
Washington is becoming an increasingly expensive city to live in, causing a bump in homelessness in the city. "In December, a devastating survey of 32 big cities prepared by the United States Conference of Mayors showed Washington with the highest rate of homelessness. There are 124 homeless people for every 10,000 residents here, more than twice the national average. Nationally, homelessness has shrunk 12.9 percent over the last seven years," Noah Weiland writes for the New York Times.
The working poor have trouble finding housing. "In such a desirable real estate market, landlords are circumspect, taking government subsidies for affordable housing before screening out potential tenants for qualities associated with homelessness," Weiland writes. Those who do find housing have trouble affording it, "… with rising rent, the poorest Washington residents faced spending more than half their income on housing."
Read the full story: D.C. Homelessness Doubles National Average as Living Costs Soar
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