HUD published on June 19 its Worst Case Housing Needs: 2019 Report to Congress, showing that 7.7 million unassisted very low-income renter households in America spend more than half of their income on housing, live in severely inadequate housing, or both. This represents an improvement from the overall record high of 8.5 million households in 2011 and 8.3 million households in 2015. The report attributes the recent decline in “worst case housing” needs to economic growth. Despite this incremental improvement, the number of households experiencing worst case housing is still 54% larger than it was in 2001. The report attributed the persistence of worst case housing needs to rising rents, inadequate housing assistance, and competition for a limited supply of affordable rentals.
7.7 Million Very Low-Income Households Experience Worst Case Housing Needs
