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News and Information Article
Residents must earn $14.57 an hour to afford rent
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 15 // -- A household in Pennsylvania must
earn $14.57 an hour, 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year to be able to afford
rent and utilities on a modest two-bedroom apartment in the private housing
market, according to a report released Tuesday by The Housing Alliance of
Pennsylvania. That "Housing Wage" translates to almost three times
Pennsylvanias current minimum wage, and still more than twice what the
minimum wage will move to over the course of the next year.
According to the report, the Housing Wage for the average one-bedroom
apartment in Pennsylvania is $12.12. Even at a minimum wage of $7.15/hour,
a minimum wage worker will have to work 67.8 hours/week, 52 weeks a year to
afford that one-bedroom apartment.
Furthermore, there is not a single jurisdiction in Pennsylvania in
which a person earning the current or pending minimum wage can afford the
fair market rent for a one-bedroom unit.
"This report clearly illustrates that the rental market, like the rest
of the housing market, is not meeting our communities needs," said Liz
Hersh, Executive Director of The Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania.
"Pennsylvania has a steak-and-caviar housing market. There are not many
choices for the person living on a burger-and-fries budget."
The report, Out of Reach 2006, was jointly released by The Housing
Alliance of Pennsylvania and the National Low Income Housing Coalition
(NLIHC), a Washington, DC-based housing advocacy group. The report provides
the Housing Wage and other data for every state, metropolitan area and
county in the country.
According to the report, the typical renter in Pennsylvania earns
$11.57 an hour, which is $3.18 less than the hourly wage needed to afford a
modest unit. That leaves an estimated 49% of renters in Pennsylvania who do
not earn enough income to afford a two-bedroom unit at the fair market
rent.
"The good news is," said Hersh, "the steak-and-caviar housing market
is a problem we can solve." The Housing Alliance is working to grow the
rental market, and calls for more multi-family starts, as well as tax
credits and subsidies to close the gap between what it costs to operate an
apartment and what residents can pay.
"We also need to link housing to jobs and transportation," according to
Hersh. "We can provide incentives to employers who provide housing
assistance as a benefit, and create incentives for the development and
rehabilitation of homes near job centers, with an eye to what that
workforce can actually afford."
In related news, a recent voter survey conducted on behalf of the
Housing Alliance shows that Pennsylvanians are increasingly concerned about
home affordability. In the survey, voters cite the lack of affordable homes
as a "big" or "very big" problem, second only to access to affordable
health care. The majority of responders also support measures to make homes
more affordable.
Note: The "Housing Wage," as defined in Out of Reach 2006, is based on
Fair Market Rents (FMR) and the generally accepted affordability standard
of paying no more than 30% of income for housing costs.
The full Out of Reach 2006 report, including more data for
Pennsylvanias counties and Metropolitan Statistical Areas, can be found at
http://www.housingalliancepa.org or http://www.nlihc.org. Click on Out of
Reach 2006.
Results of the Housing Alliance voter opinion survey, Pennsylvanians
Attitudes on Home Affordability, are available at
http://www.housingalliancepa.org. Click on Pennsylvanians Attitudes on
Home Affordability, under "Whats New?".
About The Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania: Established in 1985, The
Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania is a statewide membership organization
whose mission is to ensure that all Pennsylvanians, especially those with
low incomes, have access to safe, decent, affordable and accessible homes.
The Housing Alliance has over 500 organizational and individual affiliates
statewide.
About the National Low Income Housing Coalition: Established in 1974 by
Cushing N. Dolbeare, the National Low Income Housing Coalition is a
membership organization dedicated solely to ending Americas affordable
housing crisis. NLIHC educates, organizes, and advocates to ensure decent,
affordable housing within healthy neighborhoods for everyone.
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