Affordable housing more important than ever
Recent data has indicated that since 2000, rents across the United States have INCREASED by 13 percent
in real dollars. Over the same period, income has gone DOWN by 11 percent. So it is not surprising that
families are having more trouble affordable their rent. And, that the need for affordable housing has
grown, despite federal investment in housing programs. It also makes it surprising that the current
federal budget proposal includes a 90 percent CUT to the HOME program. The HOME program is one of
the only programs financed by the federal government that actually produces affordable housing, so we
need it more than ever! But, with current sequestration caps in place, there is no room in the budget for
the program. It just seems wrong that we can’t provide the opportunity for stable housing for everyone.