Read This Report

Written by Carson Dean on April 8, 2014. Posted in Carson's Blog

For 25 years, the National Low Income Housing Coalition has published one of the best reports on poverty and what it takes to afford a decent apartment to live in.  Out of Reach 2014 was recently released and I encourage you to go to their website and read it – www.nlihc.org/oor/2014.  What I find enlightening about their report is how well they explain concepts like “fair market rent” and “housing wage” and “affordability.”  But what really strikes me when I read the report each year is how far apart the minimum wage is from providing basic, decent, rental housing throughout our entire country.  In N.C. the housing wage for a two-bedroom rental unit is $14.37, almost twice the minimum wage.  In other words, a minimum wage earner would have to work 79 hours per week just to afford housing!  Please read the report and check out the charts – it’s not very lengthy.  Your eyes will be opened!