CASA is dedicated to increasing the supply of affordable rental housing in our community because it benefits all of us: our vulnerable neighbors are safe and sheltered, our local businesses have available workers, our social service agencies are less burdened, our essential workers reside in the communities they serve, and citizens with disabilities live and work with dignity and independence.
Facts about Affordable Housing
- Housing is considered “affordable” if it costs no more than 30% of a person’s income
- Many North Carolinians with disabilities survive on only $674 in disability income each month. The fair market rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the Raleigh/Cary area is $715 – more than the entire disability payment. (Source: Priced Out in 2008 (Technical Assistance Collaborative. Boston, MA, 2009).)
- In 2008, Over 420,000 people under the age of 65 lived in nursing homes, many of them residing there unnecessarily because of the lack of community-based housing. (Source: Nursing Home Data Compendium 2008 (U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Washington, D.C., 2008).)
- The hourly wage required to rent a one bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent in Raleigh/Cary is $13.75 per hour (equivalent to $28,600 per year). Given that the current minimum wage is just $7.25 per hour ($15,080 per year), there are a large number of gainfully employed individuals whose income falls below the level needed to rent at fair market rates. (Source: Out of Reach 2009 (National Low Income Housing Coalition. Washington, D.C., 2009).)
- Many, many studies have been conducted about the effects of affordable housing on neighboring property values. These overwhelmingly have found no negative effect and frequently find positive effects. A sampling of these articles are listed here:
Learn more:
North Carolina Housing Coalition
The Brookings Institution
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
The Urban Land Institute
