Millions Left Behind as Housing Assistance Falls Short

Millions of people who are eligible to receive housing assistance in the United States are being left without it, according to a new report by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. In 2021 (latest available data), a record high 8.5 million very low-income renter households with severe housing problems went without federal housing assistance, marking an increase of 3.3 million households since 1991. Severe problems here include spending more than 50 percent of income on rent and utilities or living in severely inadequate housing.

The report writers warn that the proposed reductions in federal resources for crucial housing support would leave even more people with severe housing problems. They explain: “Rental assistance programs like Housing Choice Vouchers, public housing, and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits provide lifelines for roughly 5.1 million households. Most households assisted by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have extremely low incomes and include children, older adults, or a person with a disability. These programs, which assist vulnerable households and expand the supply of affordable housing, are already underfunded.”