HUD Says Housing Needs Drop Eight Percent

The number of very-low-income U.S. renter households that pay more than 50 percent of theirmonthly gross income for rent or live in severely inadequate housing dropped about eight percent between 1997 and1999, according to a HUD report.

1 minute read

January 22, 2001, 11:00 AM PST

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech


HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo said that the drop by some 440,000 households is a "welcome reversal of a ten-yeartrend in which the number of worst case needs grew. The decrease is strong evidence of the effectiveness of thisAdministration's economic and housing policies in helping the very lowest income households." Though the picture has improved, Cuomo noted that nearly five million renter households still fall into the worse casehousing category that most needs rental assistance. Renter households with worst case needs are defined as thosethat have very low incomes (below 50 percent of their area's median income), do not already receive rentalassistance from federal or state programs, and either pay more than half their income for housing or live in severelysubstandard housing.

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan

Friday, January 19, 2001 in HUD News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Entrance to subterranean Hollywood/Vine Metro station in Los Angeles, California surrounded by tall apartment buildings.

Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access

A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.

5 hours ago - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Yellow roadside sign with extreme heat warning: "Danger - Extreme Conditions! - STOP - Do not hike Jun-Sep - HEAT KILLS"

Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills

Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.

6 hours ago - Nevada Current

View of downtown Pittsburgh, PA with river and bridge in foreground at dusk.

Downtown Pittsburgh Set to Gain 1,300 New Housing Units

Pittsburgh’s office buildings, many of which date back to the early 20th century, are prime candidates for conversion to housing.

7 hours ago - Axios