Housing

Shelter is a basic necessity, but housing costs are burdensome for many; experts have declared an American housing crisis. The supply of affordable housing is scarce, and housing is becoming less affordable even for middle-income earners, with nearly a third of American households spending more than the recommended 30 percent of their income on their rent or mortgage. Rents are rising, subsidies are falling and homeownership rates are declining. Low-income communities continue to struggle with a lack of jobs and disinvestment – or alternatively, displacement from neighborhoods experiencing reinvestment and gentrification. Communities of color face additional barriers to homeownership, such as disparities in lending practices, which exacerbate the racial gap in homeownership. Despite the end of “redlining” and other explicitly discriminatory practices, unofficial racial and economic segregation persists. This section of the Spotlight website gathers the latest research, news and opinion on housing.