Shortage of affordable housing at all-time high
This past June, the Coalition shared a post indicating that more American renters than ever before are struggling to pay for housing.
A new report released by the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness (ICPH) confirms these findings. According to ICPH’s report, A Home by Any Other Name: Enhancing Shelters Addresses the Gap in Low-income Housing, the gap between the need for and availability of affordable rental units for poor renters (households earning less than the poverty level for a family of three) is at an all-time high.
In part due to this growing shortage of affordable housing, family homelessness increased 20% from 2007 to 2010.
While there are many factors contributing to homelessness, a shortage of affordable rental housing makes it particularly challenging for homeless families to remain self-sufficient.
As ICPH shows, shelters across America have become home to many families. To reduce the growing number, the report suggests that shelters move to become “work plus housing” by offering job training, education, and independent-living and life skills courses. “Shelters should be seen as tools, not as roadblocks, for these families working to restore their independence,” said Ralph da Costa Nunez, president of ICPH.
Coalition for the Homeless agrees. Our clients are case-managed and referred to programs and services offered by Coalition partners, such as Orange County Public Schools, Goodwill Industries, and Lakeside Behavioral Healthcare.
According to the report, over a million individuals in families across America will be homeless tonight. We need to work together to give our neighbors in need the dignity and opportunity every family deserves.
It’s so hard to convince most people that the root cause of homelessness is as simple as it is, a lack of affordable housing. We have over 2200 self identified homeless youth currently enrolled in the San Francisco Unified School District. The waiting list for Family Shelter is at an all time high, and with the exception of a few weeks or months here and there, the waiting lists for public housing have been closed for years in SF, Oakland, and most of the other Bay Area Counties. Until the Federal Government takes up the responsibilities that it began shedding in the Reagan Administration, this situation can hardly improve. Local and State governments simply don’t have the resources to do Washington’s job for them. Sadly, neither political party shines very brightly in this area.
Thank you for commenting! As we shared in our post, we too are frustrated by the lack of affordable housing. We think, though, that in today’s climate, we really can’t depend on any government entity – no matter which party is in charge or which level – to solve the issue. We’d like to see the nonprofit and business sector work together and leverage each other to find solutions to this crisis. It will take all stakeholders to find solutions!
The non-profit industrial complex that sprang up after the Government stopped doing what governments are suppose to do is part of the problem, not the solution.
When anyone uses the words business and leverage in the same breath, what that usually means is a lot of profit for business and not much help for homeless people.