NEW VOICES FOR AFFORDABLE HOMES
Updated Multi-sector Fact Sheets: Racial Equity and Aging
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The campaign released two updated fact sheets highlighting the impact of affordable housing on aging populations and on racial equity. Research shows that as the total U.S. population of older adults increases at historic rates, the percentage of housing cost-burdened older adults is rising significantly. This process is putting older low-income renters at greater risk of housing instability and homelessness, both of which accelerate age-related health conditions. Meanwhile, for Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC), racial inequities in housing originating from centuries of racist housing policies persist to this day. Significant federal investment in affordable housing programs, like the Housing Choice Voucher program, are necessary to repair such long-standing inequities in housing. The updated fact sheets were developed with the help of campaign partners in the aging and civil rights sectors, including Justice in Aging and Poverty & Race Research Action Council.
In total, the campaign has posted 16 multi-sector fact sheets to its website. Each fact sheet compiles landmark research to help policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public understand the deep connections between housing and other national priorities, from healthcare to education to economic growth. Housing advocates are encouraged to download the fact sheets to support efforts to reach out to allies in other fields and make the case for cross-sector collaboration. To broaden the movement for housing justice, we must ensure that allies in other sectors fully appreciate the extent to which housing influences their own priorities and goals. |
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2024 Kids Count Data Book Highlights Effect of Housing Cost Burdens on Child Well-Being
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The Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2024 Kids Count Data Book on June 10. The report, which profiles national trends and ranks states according to child well-being indicators, shows that the percentage of children in families with a high housing cost burden remains unchanged since the last analysis in 2019. Analyzing U.S. Census and American Community Survey data from 2022, the report finds that 30% of children in the nation live in households with a high housing cost burden, even while the percentage of children living in poverty nationally decreased from 17% in 2019 to 16% in 2022. The report attributes this positive change to policies like the Child Tax Credit, which helped families cover basic needs like housing costs. The report highlights the fact that paying more than 30% of household income on housing limits what families have left to pay for other vital necessities, like food, healthcare, and childcare. While policies like the Child Tax Credit help lift children and their families out of poverty, increased federal investments in affordable housing are also necessary to ensure that households can afford housing costs without compromising access to other basic needs. |
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The report assesses child well-being using indicators from four categories: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. These categories provide the best data available to measure the status of child well-being at the national and state levels. An interactive version of the data book provides state profiles enabling users to compare where states rank overall and across the four domains. Housing cost burden is included as one of the four indicators of economic well-being, along with the child poverty rate, percentage of children with parents who lack secure employment, and teenagers not in school or working. As pictured in the data above, racial disparities exist among children across all four key indicators. While the national average number of children living in households with a high housing cost burden is 30%, Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Hispanic children are more likely to be in a household with a high housing cost burden. |
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“We know from research what all kids need to thrive: permanent relationships with caring adults; access to essentials such as food, mental and physical health care and stable housing; and a sense of safety and belonging in their communities,” explain the report’s authors. |
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Add Your Organization to Letter Urging Congress to enact the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act
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National Low Income Housing Coalition, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, and Enterprise Community Partners are collecting organization signatures for a letter to Senator Sherrod Brown, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and Senator Tim Scott, Ranking Member of the committee, urging the advancement of the “Reforming Disaster Recovery Act” (S.1686). This bipartisan legislation will make the flow of disaster recovery funds faster, more equitable, and more accountable to taxpayers. The bill was also included in the Senate Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriation bill for FY 2023, and the House version of the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Among other critical reforms, the bill would permanently authorize HUD’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, which provides flexible grants to help cities, counties, and states recover from Presidentially declared disasters and rebuild affordable housing and other infrastructure after a disaster, especially in low-income areas.
With the increasing frequency of hurricanes and flooding, we need Congress to establish a better way for communities to access the funding they need quickly. Delays hurt everyone and hit Black, Latino, and Indigenous people, low-income communities, and immigrants with the fewest resources to rebuild particularly hard.
NLIHC staff are collecting organization sign-ons from groups across the nation with a goal of getting 500 organizations to sign on by the end of the summer. The letter will likely be sent when there is movement on the bill later this year. With such strong support for the bill in the Senate, the hope is to put pressure on the House to act on the bill when there is an opening. |
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Recent Reporting Emphasizes Connections between Extreme Heat and Housing Crisis
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A recent article in the New York Times highlights the connections between the national lack of affordable housing and increased exposure to unsafe, record-breaking temperatures for many people. The article, “The Heat Crisis Is a Housing Crisis,” shows how a lack of access to indoor cooling measures is one of the primary causes contributing to deaths related to heat, which is associated with the highest rate of fatalities of all extreme weather events. While some cities require that landlords provide tenants with air-conditioning, most housing codes require only that landlords provide heat. Along with tenant protections that require landlords to provide cooling devices, measures should be passed to improve building energy efficiency so that use of air conditioning does not result in unaffordable energy bills. Increased federal funding for affordable housing programs is also essential, as high housing costs make it harder for low-income households to afford other basic needs, including utility costs.
Learn more about the connections between the environment and affordable housing by reading our fact sheet here. |
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Fact of the Month: Latino voters cite lack of available apartments and high rents as top affordable housing issues elected officials should address
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