The Housing Crisis Is Worse Than You Think

A new report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows it’s getting increasingly difficult to afford housing.

In These Times Staff

A tent is set up as a part of the Dignity Village homeless encampment in East Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2018. (Photo by Aric Crabb/Digital First Media/Bay Area News via Getty Images)

Housing is a human right,” Julián Castro, the former Obama Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, wrote in the preamble to his People First Housing” platform in June. He’s one of a few Democratic contenders who have spoken about affordable housing in recent weeks, an issue that’s historically received limited attention on the campaign trail. But housing’s newfound importance makes good sense: As In These Times has noted, the economic prospects for everyday Americans are hardly sunny, even after the putative rebounds made by the nation since the Great Recession.

While there are ample reasons to doubt the progressive promises made by the likes of Castro, the need to address the shortage of affordable housing could not be more real. And with the recent release of the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual report on the gap between wage-earners and rent prices, now is an important moment for candidates to outline their plans to address the issue. Here are 10 statistics that outline the U.S. housing crisis:

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