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Topic of the Day: Affordable housing
Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to a group of people within a specified income range. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the concept is applicable to both renters and purchasers in all income ranges. This article focuses on the affordability of owner-occupied and private rental housing as social housing is a specialised tenure. In the United States and Canada, a commonly accepted guideline for housing affordability is a housing cost that does not exceed 30% of a household's gross income. Housing costs considered in this guideline generally include taxes and insurance for owners, and usually include utility costs. When the monthly carrying costs of a home exceed 30–35% of household income, then the housing is considered unaffordable for that household. Because of supply and demand, the most "affordable" places are where there is the least demand relative to supply. Where the supply of available housing is less than the demand, low- and moderate-income households often struggle to obtain housing that is affordable. In these housing markets, rising land values often outpace rising incomes. Such housing markets often have a limited supply of residential land, or a number of regulations that make it difficult or costly to increase housing supply at rents affordable to consumers at income ranges below the local average. Measuring demand is complicated, and subject to different views. It can be measured in terms of the costs for housing, housing type (such as apartments vs. single-detached homes, or the size and configuration of units, including number of bedrooms) and location for housing (relative to commercial/employment centers, transportation infrastructure, schools and other community resources.) A key element in measuring housing demand is differentiating between the "ability to pay" that some households have, and the "willingness to pay" of households for certain housing types in certain locations. When a place has attributes that trigger high degrees of "willingness to pay", prices often rise due to the finite supply, thereby changing that place's relationship to household "ability to pay". When a place has attributes that make it undesirable, the willingness to pay is reduced and the price falls. This explains why some places within an otherwise unaffordable area (measured in the aggregate) remain very affordable, such as a distressed inner city neighborhood in an otherwise expensive city.
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| Regina's Column |
Interagency Council on Homelessness, State and Local Initiatives
(06/26/2008)
Homelessness is a national problem with local solutions. No one federal agency, no one level of government and no one sector of the community can reach the goal of ending homelessness alone. Federal agency collaborations and partnerships with state and local governments and the private and faith-based and community sectors are key to achieving the objectives of preventing and ending homelessness. The Council has established a broad range of intergovernmental partnerships: Federal Regional Interagency Councils. The Interagency Council has encouraged the development of Federal Regional Interagency Councils through which key regional representatives of Federal agencies are convened to mirror the work of the federal partners in Washington to make resources more available and accessible to homeless people. State Interagency Councils on Homelessness. Every State and territory has been encouraged by the Interagency Council to establish by legislative authority or Governor's Executive Order a State Interagency Council on Homelessness with representation at the Cabinet level from the mainstream income support, health care, behavioral health, human services, veterans, corrections, transportation, education, and labor departments and agencies. To date, Governors of 53 states and territories have taken steps to create State Interagency Councils on Homelessness. Jurisdictional 10-Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness. The Administration has set a goal of ending chronic homelessness. Cities and Counties across the country are being encouraged by the Council to create business-like, results-oriented 10-Year Plans that incorporate cost benefit analysis and prevention, housing, and services innovations and best practices. 300 cities and counties are underway with this jurisdictional planning effort with many having already begun implementation. In 2006, the State of Michigan directed the development of 60 new 10-Year Plans covering all 83 of its counties, providing a new model of Federal, State, and local jurisdictional partnership and planning. Legislation enacted by the State of Washington has also resulted in the creation of local jurisdictional 10-Year Plans throughout that state. Please see Tools section this page for additional information and resources.
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| Past "Regina's Column" Articles |
| Homeless Assistance Programs (03/10/2008) |
| HUD REPORTS DROP IN NUMBER OF CHRONICALLY HOMELESS PERSONS LIVING ON NATION'S STREETS (01/09/2008) |
| Senior Housing (12/04/2007) |
| Community Action Agencies (11/17/2007) |
| Self-Care (11/06/2007) |
| Information about HMIS (10/19/2007) |
| Why is Los Angeles the city with the worst homeless population? (10/14/2007) |
| Youth and Homelessness (10/10/2007) |
| Helping the Homeless/Self care (10/10/2007) |
| Homelessness (09/21/2007) |
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