Affordable Housing Month 2022

The month of May is Affordable Housing Month. Rural Resurrection continues to look at ways to help communities to provide safe, decent, affordable housing.

As stated last year, this month is somewhat of a double-edged sword for rural communities. For quite a while the abundance of affordable housing has been a marketing point for most rural communities. But the affordability of housing is quickly becoming an issue for even smaller rural communities.

According to a report by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 41 percent (5 million households) of rural renters are “cost-burdened”. Being “cost-burdened” means that these households pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing costs. Additionally, of the rural households that rent, 21 percent (2.1 million households) pay more than 50 percent of their income for housing.

That’s just scratching the surface of the eye-opening statistics related to housing affordability in rural areas. The National Rural Housing Coalition (@RuralCoalition) has a few more statistics that will make you think about the crisis.

Past Posts on Housing Affordability

There are a number of approaches that a number of different communities are trying to address the housing crisis. Last year we profiled how one development company in Menomiee, Michigan has worked to make its own unique mark on the affordable housing market. The Lloyd House is a unique adaptive reuse project of a former commercial building into affordable housing that should serve as a model for others.

Photo Courtesy of National Equity Fund

Last year we also profiled how Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs) should be one of your key tools in the affordable housing toolbox. Since 2005, CDBG housing rehabilitation grants have preserved over 1.25 million affordable housing units.

Other Approaches to Housing Affordability

The Rural Health Information Hub (@ruralhealthinfo) published an article discussing a number of different approaches that can be taken to improve housing affordability. Overall, it is a pretty good read.

However, there was one interesting example program that popped out for me. It was the Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. and their Mutual Self-Help Housing Program. Groups of six to 12 participants in the program build one another’s homes. They work together under the direction and coaching of a RurAL CAP construction supervisor.

The sweat equity created by the participants’ work eliminates the need for a down payment. It also reduces the size of their mortgage.

Don’t Stop

Housing affordability is always been an issue, but it will only get worse without significant, regular attention and proactive actions. Use Housing Affordability Month to draw attention to the issue and start the conversation.