Unaffordable Housing and Homelessness

Renters In America Are Running Out Of Options Renters In America Are Running Out Of Options | This video explains how unaffordable housing in the United States is causing homelessness. Load video

FACTS AND STATISTICS

Housing is considered unaffordable if it costs more than 30% of an individual's income (✓1).

More than 18 million households in the United States pay more than 50% of their income for housing (✓2).

To afford a modest two-bedroom apartment in the United States, a full-time worker must earn on average at least $22.10 an hour (✓1).

Many disabled people are homeless. The reason is a person with social security as their only source of income (which is less than $1000 a month on average) cannot afford a safe, decent rental unit anywhere in the U.S.(✓1).

About one in four Americans pay more than half their income on rent (✓2).

610,000 people have no home at all (✓2).

The U.S. housing crisis is growing as housing is getting more expensive, and the number of available low-income housing units is decreasing (✓2).

Studies suggest that unaffordable housing causes starvation. For every $500 a low-income person pays for the rent in the U.S., food shortages for families increase by 10 percent (✓2).

Older adults are more likely to become homeless due to unaffordable housing. The reason is that increased medical costs that come with old age make it difficult to afford rent (✓2).

About one in ten Americans move each year to find more affordable housing after a foreclosure or an eviction (✓3).

Frequent moves to attain less expensive housing hinder a child's educational performance (✓3).

For the last 40 years, the number of federally subsidized housing units has decreased by 10,000 per year (✓4).

A study a while back in 2016, found that in no state or county in the entire U.S. can someone who is earning the federal minimum wage afford a two-bedroom apartment on their own (✓4).

WHAT CAUSES UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOW UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING CAUSES HOMELESSNESS

Many experts in the field of housing implicate unaffordable housing as the single greatest cause of homelessness in the U.S. today.

The root cause of unaffordable housing and homelessness is landlord greed.

Instead of charging people rent based on what renters can afford, landlords charge renters the highest amount possible to maximize profits.

While it is true that landlords need to make a living too, and many landlords are in the same situation of unaffordable housing as renters, many landlords can get away with charging well less than they currently do, but they don't.

Thus, the most fundamental and reversible cause of unaffordable housing is landlord greed.

Another cause of unaffordable housing is the lack of available low-income housing units.

Because there are few low-income housing units available in the United States, landlords can get away with charging ungodly rent prices.

The reason is, like every good in a capitalistic society, the housing market is based on supply and demand. The less supply of available, affordable housing units in the area, the more landlords can get away with charging unaffordable costs because people have no other choice but to pay it.

Thus, landlord greed and a shortage of available low-income housing units are the two main causes of unaffordable housing and homelessness.

Unaffordable housing causes homelessness when a person cannot afford rent in their area. Due to the unaffordable costs of housing in their area, many Americans are forced to move out of their homes and into tents behind local grocery stores and beneath busy bridges in search of a job with higher pay.

Because unaffordable housing and homelessness could just as easily be combated with less greed as is the case with landlords, many employers are also guilty of participating in the entire avoidable cause of homelessness by paying employees too little.

While, like landlords, it is true that some businesses are struggling to make ends meet, it is also true that many more are also capable of paying renters higher wages. They are capable of combating unaffordable housing and homelessness, and yet they don't.

Thus, in short, unaffordable housing and homelessness are caused by the greed of landlords and employers.

The lack of supply of inexpensive housing and low average employee pay per hour makes it easier for landlords and employers to garnish lavish lifestyles while renters and employees struggle to pay rent.

WHO IS AFFECTED BY UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS

Not only are low-income people who pay rent themselves affected by unaffordable housing and homelessness, but governments, taxpayers, and families of renters are affected as well.

Governments are affected by unaffordable housing because they are tasked with dealing with the mess that homelessness creates. Alleviating homelessness is time-consuming. Social workers spend a great deal of time aiding the destitute who were thrown on the streets due to unaffordable housing.

Taxpayers pay a significant cost for homelessness that results from unaffordable housing as well. The tax contributions of more than two working-class Americans earning an average salary are needed to support one homeless person for just one year.

Finally, unaffordable housing and homelessness affect the family of rent payers as well. Often, children become homeless alongside their parents when an eviction due to lack of sufficient funds hurls them out on the streets. Many homeless shelters exist in the nation and prioritize shelter for homeless individuals with children, but with the cost of housing rising so rapidly, many cities don't even have room for homeless families.

Thus, individuals, governments, taxpayers, and the families of rent payers all suffer from the effects of unaffordable housing and homelessness.

HOW TO SOLVE UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS IN THE U.S.

Since unaffordable housing is the single greatest cause of homelessness in the world, and thus in the U.S., working towards a solution for unaffordable housing in America is a good start for solving both.

Since unaffordable housing is often the result of capitalistic greed, two primary ways exist for solving it.

The first is with changing culture. If we can raise people to be less concerned with wealth and more concerned with humanity, then big businesses and housing owners will be more concerned with making housing more affordable for all.

The second way is more realistic. This has to do with changing society.

If we can build more affordable housing units in areas where there are shortages, more people will have options to choose from, and thus landlords will be forced to lower their prices to compete with other landlords.

No other good ways to solve unaffordable housing exist given capitalism. If we impose a cap on rent, meaning the government prohibits landlords from charging too much, then employees will need less for rent, and so businesses will pay their employees less.

If we require businesses to pay employees more by raising the minimum wage, then renters will have more money and so landlords will charge more for rent.

The government could cap the cost of rent while raising the minimum wage, but that would cause additional problems.

Thus, building more affordable housing units seems like the only good way to solve unaffordable housing and homelessness.

WHERE IN THE U.S. UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS ARE THE GREATEST

Unaffordable housing in America tends to be the greatest in the States where the cost of living is highest. For the most part, that is also true with homelessness.

Here are the ten U.S. states where the cost of living is the highest (✓5):

10) Vermont
Known for its beautiful multi colorful forest scenery, and clean, fresh lake air, Vermont is also home to many unaffordable homes and homeless people. About 2,780 people were homeless in Vermont in 2022 (✓8).

9) Rhode Island
Home to the sailing capital of the world, Rhode Island was also home to 1,104 homeless people in 2022 (✓6). That's quite extraordinary being that Rhode Island is also the smallest state in the U.S.

8) Connecticut
Home to the reputable Yale University, Connecticut is also home to unaffordable housing and homelessness. 2,905 were homeless in Connecticut in 2022 (✓6).

7) Maryland
Known for its epic baseball culture, in 2022, Maryland had 6,360 people sleeping on the streets (✓6).

6) Alaska
Alaska is an interesting one. One would expect Alaska to be a cheap state to live in because of how terrible the weather is. But that is simply not the case. Unaffordable housing and homelessness thrive. 1,949 people were homeless in Alaska in 2022 (✓6).

5) Oregon
Known for its beautiful evergreen forests and dominant volcanos, Oregon is another place that knows all about high costs of living. Especially in major cities like Portland, unaffordable housing and homelessness are seen but never appreciate. An estimated 14,655 were homeless in Oregon in 2022 (✓6).

4) Massachusetts

Commonly known as the home of Harvard University, this state also has its fair share of unaffordable housing and homelessness. Roughly, 18,000 people were homeless in Massachusetts in 2022 (✓6).

3) California
California is home to some of the most renowned movie stars in the world. It is also known for its beautiful beaches, elegant city architecture, and music recording studios. But for residents in California, unaffordable housing and homelessness are all too familiar. About 161,548 people were homeless in 2022 (✓6).

2) New York
New York is known to tourists for its breathtakingly tall buildings, stock markets, and time square. What it is also known for in the cities is unaffordable housing and homelessness. About 91,271 people were homeless in 2022 (✓6).

1) Hawaii
To tourists, Hawaii is known for its beautiful rainforests and breathtaking waterfalls. To the locals, however, Hawaii is known for its unaffordable housing and homelessness. 3,951 people were known to be homeless in Hawaii in 2022 (✓7). That's a lot considering how small the islands are.

But just because the cost of living in these states is the highest doesn't mean that these states have the greatest number of people who are homeless.

Here are the ten states with the greatest amount of homelessness:

1. California
2. New York
3. Florida
4. Texas
5. Washington
6. Massachusetts
7. Oregon
8. Pennsylvania
9. Arizona
10. Ohio

Notice that in both the list of states with the highest cost of living and in the top list of states with the most homelessness some U.S. states make both lists. To answer, "which U.S. states have the greatest amount of unaffordable housing and homelessness," then, we list the 4 repeats.

Here are the top 4 U.S. states with the greatest amount of unaffordable housing and homelessness:

1. California
2. New York
3. Massachusetts
4. Oregon

FINAL WORDS

More than 18 million families pay more than half of their income for housing in the United States.

Unaffordable housing is the single greatest cause of Homelessness in the United States today.

Unaffordable housing is caused by a selfish attempt to maximize wealth while disregarding the welfare of the poor in society. Businesses and landlords are the key players in the problem of unaffordable housing.

The other most significant cause of unaffordable housing is a lack of low-income housing units.

To solve unaffordable housing and homelessness, building more affordable housing units seems most promising.

Finally, the four U.S. states with the greatest amount of unaffordable housing and homelessness are California, New York, Massachusetts, and Oregon.

conclusion

So the next time you see a homeless person begging for change on the streets, think of "unaffordable housing" as the reason why they are homeless.