Bristol Redevelopment & Housing Authority

Bristol Redevelopment & Housing Authority
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Affordable Housing Out of Reach for Many Americans

National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual report shows the mismatch between the wages households earn and housing costs.

The nation continues to see a mismatch between wages and housing costs, according to the latest Out of Reach report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC).

Wages have remained stagnant or have declined across the country, and the federal minimum wage of $7.25 hasn’t increased since 2009. On the housing side, as a result of historic low homeownership rates, the rental market is tightening with rising rents and declining vacancy rates.

Courtesy National Low Income Housing Coalition

“Full-time minimum-wage workers are just unable to find modest affordable housing in their communities,” said NLIHC research director Megan Bolton during the Out of Reach 2015 press call Tuesday.

 

In 2015, an American household must earn $19.35 an hour, more than two and a half times the federal minimum wage, to afford a two-bedroom apartment without spending more than 30% of their income on rent. The national housing wage for a one-bedroom unit is $15.50.

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