|
Comment on this article |
View comments |
Email this Article
|
|
News :: Miscellaneous |
|
Labor Day Finds 3.7 Million Working Families With Critical Housing Needs |
Current rating: 0 |
by National Housing Conference
(No verified email address) |
30 Aug 2001
Modified: 01:03:57 PM |
|
WASHINGTON - August 30 - A new study, PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK: WORKING FAMILIES AND THE COST OF HOUSING IN AMERICA, released by the National Housing Conference (NHC), finds that 3.7 million families who work the equivalent of a full-time job are experiencing a critical housing need. |
WASHINGTON - August 30 - A new study, PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK: WORKING FAMILIES AND THE COST OF HOUSING IN AMERICA, released by the National Housing Conference (NHC), finds that 3.7 million families who work the equivalent of a full-time job are experiencing a critical housing need.
That is, these families spend more than 50 percent of their income for housing and/or live in severely substandard conditions. Moreover, this figure represents a worsening situation for low- to moderate-income American working families. Between 1997 and 1999 -- the most recent nationwide data available -- the overall number of these families with critical housing needs rose by almost 700,000 -- a 23 percent increase in just two years. The primary culprit is the rising cost of housing, affecting 16 percent more homeowners and an astounding 38 percent more renters as compared to two years ago.
The study further documents that having a job does not guarantee a family a decent place to live at an affordable cost. An analysis of five vital occupations -- police officer, elementary school teacher, licensed practical nurse, janitor and retail salesperson -- was carried out for each of the nation's 60 largest housing markets. The analysis indicates that when it comes to homeownership, households dependent on a teacher's or police officer's salary alone cannot afford to buy a median-priced home in more than half and in more than three-quarters of the 60 metropolitan areas, respectively. Licensed practical nurses are priced out of all but two markets. On the rental housing side, janitors are able to afford to rent a one-bedroom apartment on 30 percent of their income (the standard measure of affordability) in just six metropolitan areas, and retail salespersons are able to do so in just three of the 60 housing markets. Neither occupation can afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment in any of the 60 metropolitan areas included in the study.
NHC President J. Michael Pitchford indicates that, "in some parts of the country, where economic growth has been the strongest, the labor force critical to sustaining the economy either cannot find housing that is reasonably priced or cannot locate within an appropriate commuting distance of their jobs." Pitchford, a senior vice president with Bank of America points to the fact that the percentage of moderate-income (full-time) working families with critical housing needs has increased from 23 percent to 28.5 percent, growing in number from 3.0 million to 3.7 million. According to Helen Kanovsky, executive vice president of the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, far too many working families are forced to make difficult, if not impossible life choices in order to buy or rent safe, decent housing. "No one should be put in the position of having to work two or three jobs to find or remain in suitable housing, and working families should not be forced to make choices among food, child care and health coverage to be able to buy or rent an affordable place to live."
The study, part of a series of reports focusing on the housing needs of working families, draws on data from the 1997 and 1999 American Housing Surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Occupational data were gathered from the U.S. Department of Labor's 1999 Occupational Earnings Survey.
Reporters are encouraged to visit the NHC Web site at www.nhc.org to view a copy of the report. A one-page summary on your specific market area is available upon request by contacting NHC. For further information/interviews related to this study, contact NHC. Interviews over the weekend may be arranged by calling 202-393-5772, ext. 19 or ext. 21. Please leave contact and deadline information and your call will be returned.
The National Housing Conference (NHC) is a coalition of affordable housing experts from the public and private sectors. Web site: |
See also:
http://www.nhc.org
|
|
Family Budget Calculator |
by Mike Lehman
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
30 Aug 2001
|
The story above reflects national trends. For online insight into the difficulties familes face in making ends meet, including in Champaign Urbana, follow the link at the bottom to the Family Budget Calculator.
If you want to get involved in the local Living Wage campaign, follow this link:
http://www.prairienet.org/livingwage/ |
See also:
http://www.epinet.org/datazone/fambud/budget.html
|
