NLIHC Releases New Study Detailing Shortage of Affordable Housing

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) has released a report, The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, which finds a national shortage of 7.2 million affordable and available rental homes for extremely-low-income (ELI) renter households – those earning no more than 30 percent of area median income. The report shows that there are only 35 affordable and available units for every 100 ELI renter households nationwide and that 71 percent of ELI renter households are severely housing cost-burdened – that is, they spend more than half of their income on housing. It also shows that the supply of affordable and available rental homes ranges widely across the states, from only 15 for every 100 ELI renter households in Nevada to 59 for every 100 ELI renter households in Maine.