Americans relying on federal rental assistance are struggling harder than ever to find affordable housing, braving years-long wait lists and reluctant landlords.
Writing in Bloomberg CityLab, Sarah Holder and Airielle Lowe describe how soaring rents have hit housing voucher recipients particularly hard as the housing shortage makes finding housing much more competitive. “Already plagued by years-long wait times, those who receive so-called Section 8 housing choice vouchers are struggling to use them to find apartments with rents at or near records nationwide.”
As Holder and Lowe explain, “The government defines anyone who spends more than 30% of their income on housing as “cost burdened,” which constituted over 40% of renter households, or 19 million, from 2017-2021, according to Census Bureau data released in December.” But vouchers can only be used for apartments at “fair market rent,” a measure usually calculated for an entire metro area, making some neighborhoods “completely unaffordable” for voucher holders.
Recent changes in how fair market rent is calculated should help voucher holders access more housing in more neighborhoods. When HUD started incorporating private housing-market data into their calculations, “Fiscal year 2023’s fair market rents, in effect as of October 2022, jumped a record average of 10% across the country.”
Voucher recipients face other challenges. For example, “There are no federal housing protections against sources of income discrimination, so in most jurisdictions, landlords aren’t mandated to rent to Section 8 tenants.”
FULL STORY: Relentless Rents Leave Few Choices for Americans Relying on Assistance
Affordable Housing: A Primer
A guide to affordable housing definitions and federal housing assistance programs.
Eight Ohio Towns Ban Source of Income Discrimination in Housing
The group doesn’t include Cleveland, where landlords can explicitly exclude housing voucher recipients from rental properties.
Oklahoma Housing Agencies Face Major Budget Gaps
Housing authorities around the country will have a shortfall of $400 million by the end of this year.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service