The affordable housing crisis was becoming worse even before the pandemic hit, but it peaked when people were forced to stay indoors due to the stay-at-home orders. As per the Joint Center for Housing Studies, approximately one in three families spend at least 30% of their earnings on housing. The main reason behind this scenario is the rising cost of housing every year, but the income is not increasing to let people cope with such a surge. And year after year, the same thing is happening. Thus, an irrevocable gap has been created between the housing cost and the people’s income. The low-income group is the worst sufferer. Maxwell Drever has been vocal about the problem and has also pointed out that it has now become everyone’s concern.
Why is it so important to have affordable housing?
Every human being needs shelter. So, it’s needless to say that the families who spend quite a significant portion of their earnings on housing will have very little left to spend on basic needs things. And for low-income groups, it means they may have to do without getting the needed amount of food or even proper health care. Some may fail to pay their rent or mortgage and eventually face foreclosure, eviction, and homelessness.
How has the situation worsened due to the pandemic?
Yes. In actuality, the pandemic brought out the severity of the situation. Work hours were reduced, and income became low. People had to spend their savings on treating their loved ones. Moreover, companies had to follow the stay-at-home order for the safety of their staff. All these things highlighted the fundamental significance of housing.
It caused the construction work to slow down. It led to the delay in delivering the ongoing affordable housing projects. Some projects which were looking to take off faced a shutdown due to the economic turmoil.
Why is it everyone’s problem?
The problem of the affordable housing crisis has reached a limit and is impacting the whole of America’s population. Maxwell Drever explains how. Homelessness and health problems caused by insufficient housing are costly to those who experience them, to the cities and locations that pay for services, and to society as a whole in terms of productivity and lost potential.
Those who do not have to face the housing problem get affected differently. Increased traffic, road congestion, longer commutes, and higher pollution levels can all result due to high housing costs. It’s so because it pushes people to look for and live in cheaper accommodation further away from their workplace.
Why is it so hard to build affordable housing?
There are various reasons for this. Some of them are –
- The land’s cost (usually near their job place) where people want to build their housing is quite expensive.
- The rent is too high for the lower-income group to pay.
- Land-use regulations play a crucial role in some places.
- Less technological advancements have taken place in the housing field to reduce costs.
Conclusion
Many initiatives have been taken to reduce the severity of the situation. Minneapolis has ended single-family zoning. Los Angeles has initiated the construction of garage apartments. Rent control laws may come into action. So, people are trying different ways to lessen the concerns caused by the affordable housing crisis.
