Affordability of Rental Housing: A Quick Update for 2013

In May of 2011 our previous blog host, Elizabeth, wrote a couple of posts about the affordability of rental housing. (You can check them out by clicking here and here). I ran across her posts while searching for some background information on housing issues here in Tulsa. The numbers were nearly two years old, so I did a little digging to see what had changed. So far, I can tell you the answer is: not much.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) recommends households spend no more than 30% of their income on housing. To calculate what is called the “housing wage” researchers take a person working full-time, and then calculate the hourly rate he or she would need in order to pay only 30% of their income towards rent.

The numbers have changed only slightly over the past two years.  In 2011, the NLIHC stated the annual income needed to afford a 2 bedroom unit at fair market rent in Tulsa was $28,440. For 2013, the NLIHC lists that figure at $28,840, an increase of $400 annually. (Click here for the Oklahoma Data .pdf) This means households in the Tulsa Metro Area require either a single renter earning at least $13.87 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment at FMR, or basically 2 adults working full-time at minimum wage.

Read Full Post »

Affordable Rental Housing in America

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the affordable rental housing crisis in Tulsa.  Today, I ran across an interesting report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, that looks at the problem at a national level.   In addition to the section on rental affordability the report includes sections on the following: rental marketing conditions, renter demographics, rental housing stock, and policy challenges.  I won’t summarize the entire report here, but I am going to highlight a few passages that really caught my eye.

Read Full Post »

Affordable Housing Crisis in Tulsa?

What would you say if I were to ask, “Is there an affordable housing crisis in Tulsa?”  What if I added, “According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 42% of Tulsa residents who rent are unable to afford a 2-bedroom apartment at fair market rent at the 30% of income threshold.”  To make it even more difficult for you to say no, I might also say, “According to PLANiTULSA, 24% of Tulsa residents pay more than 50% of their income for housing.”   

Some people might not be convinced yet, so I have included more information from NLIHC and other sources.

Read Full Post »

A Link Between Housing Stability and Health

Instinctively,we know that a family’s housing situation impacts the physical and emotional health of the family.  Usually, the link between housing and health is limited to comparing the homeless to those who have homes.  There are many  studies that show that homeless children are less likely to be immunized, more likely to be in poor health, more likely to be at risk for developmental delays, and have higher rates of asthma and infectious disease when compared to those who have homes.  We also know that homeless children who are in school are more likely to have behavioral and academic problems.  But, what about those children living in unstable homes.  Those that are not homeless but are behind on rent or at risk of being homeless.  There has been little research into how being behind on rent affects health.  A new report from Children’s Healthwatch seeks to fill this gap.

Read Full Post »