- Many Americans struggling with rising rental housing costs, By Tony Pugh, April 21, 2010, Miami Herald: “The gap between the cost of renting a modest apartment and the wages of working families continues to widen, according to a new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. ‘Out of Reach 2010’ paints a gloomy picture for the nation’s nearly 38 million renters, who make up a third of U.S. households. On average, a family must earn $38,355 a year, $18.44 an hour, to afford a simple two-bedroom apartment at the 2010 national average fair market rent of $959. However, the average wage for U.S. renters is $14.44 an hour, down from $14.69 last year. Further, more than 60 percent of U.S. renters live in counties where even the average one-bedroom fair market rent of $805 isn’t affordable for average wage earners, the study found. Minimum wage earners are at the greatest disadvantage. Under the standard measure of affordability – housing costs should account for no more than 30 percent of income – full-time minimum wage earners can’t afford one-bedroom apartments in any county in the country, even though Congress hiked the minimum wage from $6.55 an hour to $7.25 last year…”
- Some renters in Utah are still struggling, By Lesley Mitchell, April 21, 2010, Salt Lake Tribune: “After years of hefty rental increases, rates are stabilizing and in some areas falling. But affordable-housing advocates say rents are still too high for many low- to moderate-income families. The general rule is that housing costs — either in the form of rent or a mortgage — shouldn’t account for more than 30 percent of a family’s income, leaving enough money for food and other necessities. ‘But in Utah, there are many families paying more than 50 percent,’ said Tara Rollins of the Utah Housing Coalition. The coalition on Wednesday released “Out of Reach,” a report that compares incomes in the state with rental rates. It shows that a person or family would have to earn $2,560 monthly, or about $30,700 annually, to afford a two-bedroom apartment that runs $768 per month — without paying out more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Rollins said many don’t make that much money but still pay that level of rent…”
- Hawaii rents, already least affordable in nation, get worse, By Mary Vorsino, April 22, 2010, Honolulu Advertiser: “At a time when Hawai’i families are weathering pay cuts and job losses, here’s more gloomy news: The income needed to afford a modest two-bedroom rental in the Islands rose by nearly $3,000 this year to $64,396 annually – $26,000 more than the national average, a report on housing affordability shows. The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2010 Out of Reach study, which was released yesterday, again ranks Hawai’i as the least affordable state in the nation for renters – a spot it has held since 2005. The study puts Hawai’i’s ‘housing wage,’ a calculation of the minimum hourly pay needed to rent a two-bedroom home, at $30.96 in 2010, up from $29.53 (or $61,428 annually) the year before. Those figures are based on fair market rents, which in 2010 rose to $1,610 a month for a two-bedroom in the Islands, up from $1,536 a month the year before…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty