6.6 Equitable Distribution of Affordable Housing

In the most general sense, the phrase “affordable housing” means housing that is affordable to a wide range of people, so that either an individual or a typical family is able to afford decent housing while maintaining sufficient funds to meet other basic living costs. According to the State of the Nation’s Housing  report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, 44% of all renters   in the US are now paying more than 30% of their incomes for rent, and 23% are paying more than 50%.  This indicates a serious mismatch between the number of people looking for affordable rental housing and the number of available units.

In government circles, “affordable housing” commonly refers to housing that has some form of government subsidy.   This includes a number of different kinds of assistance—from public housing to government subsidies for privately owned housing units to direct assistance to low-income tenants in the form of Section 8 vouchers. Since vouchers are subject to rapid changes in public policy, the focus of this report’s indicators is on affordable properties rather than the availability of vouchers as a measure of the location and availability of secure affordable housing.