THE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS
Homelessness, substandard housing and the lack of affordable options are part of a national crisis that destroys lives, wrenches families apart and degrades communities. Every day more people live on the edge and solutions often are elusive.
Houston has experienced some of the highest housing cost increases in the nation. According to the latest report by The Kinder Institute for Urban Research, over the last 10 years, housing costs have risen most quickly for Houston’s lowest-earning workers. In the past year, of those citizens surveyed:
· 35% struggled to pay for housing
· 40% were unable to come up with $400 for an emergency
· 25% had no health insurance
· 33% had difficulty paying for food
Poverty and homelessness are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. High housing costs leave low-income persons with little money for other important expenses, such as healthcare, food, and education, leading to difficult budget trade-offs.
Affordable supportive housing is a platform for driving change and improving quality of life. As an intervention and prevention platform, it anchors a community and provides a launch pad for delivering a variety of health and social services.
Although Houston is our nation’s fourth largest city, we are behind in meeting the need for affordable housing. Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) has been in particularly short supply. PSH is defined as multifamily apartment housing, both with rental subsidies and vital support services.
