Maryland faces a crisis in affordable rental housing – especially for low income residents.
A recent study on rental housing by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) found that Maryland faces a shortage of 118,810 affordable and accessible rental units for extremely low income households.
Maryland is not unique: In its study, “The Gap,” NLIHC found there is no state in the U.S. with an adequate supply of affordable rental housing for extremely low income renters. Across the U.S., only 37 affordable and available rental homes exist for every 100 extremely low income households that earn less than 30 percent of the area median income.
Extremely low income households make up 24 percent of renters in Maryland. According to the NLIHC, a four-person is classified as extremely low income in Maryland when its annual income is $29,640 or less. For every 100 extremely low income households in Maryland, only 33 rental dwellings are affordable and available.
“Research shows that the lack of stable housing can result in the loss of employment, interrupt student learning and decrease academic achievement,” the study said.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Meghan Thompson over at Maryland Matters