Housing subsidies benefit the wealthy | Jesuit Social Research Institute

News Intro Text

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities cites a new report from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies that finds the number of Americans struggling to afford rent is on the rise and low-income renters are hit the hardest.

Date

Thu, 06/23/2016 - 20:00

News Item Content

From the<a href="http://www.labudget.org/lbp/"> Louisiana Budget Project</a> Daily Dime, June 24, 2016: 
<div>
New data shows that 60 percent of what the federal government spends on housing benefits households with incomes above $100,000. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities cites a new<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cuHrkfT-ve6gajdUQUhZX8D4sPym5FGS7HUrljW3r5UfB0OJiD-U8vcfP_TGuwmlr3o63zGADDOJBWp1bzsX_wZch14XpNye8ClCQCPmtpbIEQpoowWYwIrckryl5L7IYXWdqj_rMN6SvFasQpCMLIojUoRc5aqaEUiRxXlUy3l45Iv429Z9jCDoVzZ6Mo9BWEX9MWA_0n1dXSxeuYYx1Q==&c=qtCidSiwI35WHaFGYc64KG0PsTuUBCFuAeWHszDN2GT186ghY6QpXA==&ch=-AYmwQ9vdQbDSkt6vKthHIl6bQms7Vt73AmHMZsF7H0XCdJrw30Trw==" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window">report</a> from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies that finds the number of <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cuHrkfT-ve6gajdUQUhZX8D4sPym5FGS7HUrljW3r5UfB0OJiD-U8vcfP_TGuwmlkEWbCb23oprypJHF7_HcGLkuBJuy6RLiN1hIRj5uk0NLy2R-t1JAq84l4Cs6BLPcvsluhSlTp1gQIEelFgFaXh1lLM2Ze7CgKp56D_IGqvQOkdwQvNgqIZtxPZgd6oCgFN203snV2SszlkSDsbR96fYoLGzDuw_4rr7U0Ncnw-_szZC3z40pLZcFCnO_O5zqV8OoNfAUXFgCUIMBdzYjMOE81NJznE-V&c=qtCidSiwI35WHaFGYc64KG0PsTuUBCFuAeWHszDN2GT186ghY6QpXA==&ch=-AYmwQ9vdQbDSkt6vKthHIl6bQms7Vt73AmHMZsF7H0XCdJrw30Trw==" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window">Americans struggling to afford rent is on the rise and low-income renters are hit the hardest.</a>
</div>
<div>
By contrast, 68 percent of families with what the Department of Housing and Urban Development terms "severe housing cost burdens" - those who pay more than half of their income for housing - have incomes below $20,000.  Yet only 22 percent of federal housing spending assists families in that income range. This imbalance means, for example, that households with incomes above $200,000 received an average of $6,406 in housing subsidies in 2014, <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cuHrkfT-ve6gajdUQUhZX8D4sPym5FGS7HUrljW3r5UfB0OJiD-U8vcfP_TGuwmle6_8UB5eUyI-LRwlDTierbbJDm3_2Hd_A4jQQZZsHxC49YKt_hmBaEVZj_AWKeL4zB8Bq0ApYqHRfATA0RmoBa2Tq0TeJIqOYEtMtiYLhpvLoTm81jIdBGZq0sBn5FpVjhYyH_fnbuz5qizCUA302q9u4Rk7PV3_5EQ_UUuRDgjKpngQ6fmVBk48OAVBaue-n-pBrw4ZSmmozQotWqrRpVHc_PdpJMXr3WbPXHmvRS7xbs-o-a6h_g==&c=qtCidSiwI35WHaFGYc64KG0PsTuUBCFuAeWHszDN2GT186ghY6QpXA==&ch=-AYmwQ9vdQbDSkt6vKthHIl6bQms7Vt73AmHMZsF7H0XCdJrw30Trw==" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window">four times more</a> than the average household below $20,000. The mismatch between housing spending and needs has severe consequences for low-income families, especially children. <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cuHrkfT-ve6gajdUQUhZX8D4sPym5FGS7HUrljW3r5UfB0OJiD-U8vcfP_TGuwmltHOfuqPrNLj2eLp5fadl7YEHnLPCNeW03IsbAnN9SVNRADx92lVfF0KhRROGzEFXQSGKqF8JSvRhI0h6yk7DFJjSUEXyR2ItQMax1CSW_opXXwSEP7wbnAOvoNxQfQt0ia7RpLjh9H--YOlMwSOuQw6Xo2_Uf_5qHaJs4w57Uzz88r7uQ8xnAqhAAMhZxJnM4F5H3z7FkX3fdNN2Brzmg5GzfJgY-gDskDQs4HNA6Sou_p7Y0eeXQKSHwzmLR0lZ&c=qtCidSiwI35WHaFGYc64KG0PsTuUBCFuAeWHszDN2GT186ghY6QpXA==&ch=-AYmwQ9vdQbDSkt6vKthHIl6bQms7Vt73AmHMZsF7H0XCdJrw30Trw==" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window"> Three-fourths</a> of low-income families eligible for federal rental assistance don't receive it due to <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cuHrkfT-ve6gajdUQUhZX8D4sPym5FGS7HUrljW3r5UfB0OJiD-U8vcfP_TGuwml-Dg4deVeZ-7JtBAlOiKPSPngVgngO6_s_s1aT93gV2SxrEoTbENSGHx0pCYJ-EwvDIwUJGi8eCgNJw9crMFyAKUyzJiHbNpXTICg4GttazmoXh3JGCdLnco-gq5g3aQCHzoZRTOCE7u84mnTkHoFa0owuSrRh-E5ACe7xWFYQPWQtVCNo3a9yL1N_5YhAuU7oMxDl_JJVj2j9ecPUVl4v-bwVkdDY_aHAbUPubUOHCUCDHbsohgAQg==&c=qtCidSiwI35WHaFGYc64KG0PsTuUBCFuAeWHszDN2GT186ghY6QpXA==&ch=-AYmwQ9vdQbDSkt6vKthHIl6bQms7Vt73AmHMZsF7H0XCdJrw30Trw==" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window">funding limitations</a>. ... <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001cuHrkfT-ve6gajdUQUhZX8D4sPym5FGS7HUrljW3r5UfB0OJiD-U8vcfP_TGuwml3lYe9uUbNEP8Ilg-h09PQ_kGmawFp8Dmm75rvQRiIxH-gC5KSAruOtut6yNgck24YsPlm1L9EZhpS9bLN2irBEypftECu7mUIs_fI9AfTP65Jr4t40gnMWgBkpm03LX6cOZjxzIKUkf8CNSXUSvCiUXCik3URqf-YLwu3Q68Xl18Z7j9PRPiGH0ecT7Iy-ygzeKKCwh7L_NGn-akmTFEI49znetz-XYCyRHOngFj1_O8H0S0ySwlyQ==&c=qtCidSiwI35WHaFGYc64KG0PsTuUBCFuAeWHszDN2GT186ghY6QpXA==&ch=-AYmwQ9vdQbDSkt6vKthHIl6bQms7Vt73AmHMZsF7H0XCdJrw30Trw==" target="_blank" title="This external link will open in a new window">Research</a> shows that low-income families with children without rental assistance are more likely to experience homelessness, frequent moves, and overcrowding than similar families with assistance.  
</div>