Across the United States, some 13 million families experience critical housing needs. Even substandard housing, like this house in Huntsville, Texas, can be expensive for low-income families.

Rising House Costs Aggravate Critical Housing Needs

"Having a job does not guarantee a family a decent place to live at an affordable cost." So concludes the National Housing Conference's 2002 report "Housing America's Working Families: A Further Exploration." This conclusion stems in part from the fact that despite an increase in recent years in the number of working American families, the number with severe housing problems remains virtually unchanged.

About 13 million American families experience critical housing needs, either paying more than half their income for housing, living in severely substandard conditions or both. Nearly 4 million families work full time and still struggle with critical housing needs.

According to the report, rising house costs are responsible for most of the problem--and such increases are spread fairly evenly between urban and non-urban areas. While 43 percent (1.7 million) of low- to moderate-income families with critical housing needs live in cities, almost as many (1.5 million) make their homes in the suburbs. Another 656,000 live in non-metropolitan areas, the report states.

In addition to the almost 4 million working families with critical housing needs, many more low- to moderate-income working families are significantly affected by the cost and condition of their houses. Another 1.6 million families live in crowded conditions, 2.7 million commute at least 45 minutes and 176,000 struggle with both problems.

"Housing America's Working Families" presents new information about the kinds of working families most likely to experience persistent housing needs. Those families with chronic housing needs, the report suggests, are more likely to be dependent on the earnings of a single worker, are members of a racial or ethnic minority, are families with three or more children and live in the Northeast and West regions of the United States.

The report is the third in a series by the National Housing Conference's research affiliate, the Center for Housing Policy, documenting the critical housing needs of working families. It also addresses questions about the nature and causes of such needs, questions such as: "Why do working families have critical housing needs--is it simply an income problem or do local housing conditions play a role? Are critical housing needs temporary or chronic events in the lives of working families? Which working families are most likely to experience persistent housing needs? What trade-offs do working families make to obtain decent, affordable housing?"

Answers to these questions and more reside within the pages of "Housing America's Working Families: A Further Exploration." The previous two reports are entitled "Housing America's Working Families" and "Paycheck to Paycheck: Working Families and the Cost of Housing in America." These three reports and other publications from the National Housing Conference may be viewed online at www.nhc.org, by writing National Housing Conference, the Center for Housing Policy, 1801 K St., NW, Suite M-100, Washington, D.C. 20006-1301 or by calling (202) 466-2121.

--Shawn Reeves