Rent Crunch

Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA) (04/08/08); Kush, Bronislaus B.
Residential rents are up across the country, confirms the National Low Income Housing Coalition in the latest issue of its annual report Out of Reach. The organization identifies Hawaii, California and New York as the least unaffordable states and names Connecticut's Stamford-Norwalk market as the most costly metropolitan area in the nation. According to the study, one in seven U.S. households is contributing more than half of their income toward keeping a roof over their heads; and low-income, minority and first-time home buyers are especially being impacted by escalating shelter costs. "The numbers in Out of Reach are a stark reminder that in nearly every community in our nation, families are struggling to make ends meet," said Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., in a preface to the NLIHC report. "While we have federal programs in place to assist people in affordable housing, they are relatively small compared to the great need. More must be done to ensure housing opportunities for all."