Homelessness and the Low Income Housing Crisis

The cost of housing is beyond the means of a growing number of housholds. This affordability gap is the underlying cause of homelessness. Housing assistance to low income families is therefore a logical solution to the problem, in combination with other responses

What is housing affordability? The case for the residual income approach

This article seeks to increase the awareness of and support for the residual income approach to housing affordability indicators and standards, especially in the United States. It begins with an overview of various semantic, substantive, and definitional issues relating to the notion of affordability, leading to an argument supporting the conceptual soundness of the residual income approach. The concept is then briefly set into the historical context of U.S. and British debates on affordability measures. This description is followed by a discussion of two of the principal issues involved in crafting an operational residual income standard: the selection of a normative standard for non-housing items and the treatment of taxes. The article concludes by considering some of the potential implications of the residual income paradigm for the analysis of housing problems and needs, for housing subsidy policy, and for mortgage underwriting practice

Out of reach : why everyday people can't find affordable housing /

Chiefly tables and diagrams.Cover title.Includes bibliographical references.Mode of access: Internet