Families across the United States pay too much for their home. Rent and homeownership costs are skyrocketing, and wages are not keeping pace. Everywhere you look — cities, suburbs, rural areas — the stability that home brings remains out of reach for too many families. Families should never have to spend more than 30% of their income on a home. Unfortunately, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, over 18 million households were paying half or more of their income on a place to live. Now the pandemic is highlighting housing affordability challenges, and conversations about racial equity are making the multigenerational impact of discriminatory housing practices clear. It is more important than ever to enact policies and create systems that increase access to affordable homes.
Habitat for Humanity understands the complexities that surround the cost of home. We know the struggle, stress and pain that far too many families in our communities experience, and that those with the fewest resources are forced to make the hardest choices. We know that the impacts of COVID-19 will be felt most by those who can afford it the least, and that the pandemic is having a disparate impact on communities of color — in terms of both their health and their economic stability. We must continue to advocate to ensure that everyone — no matter who they are, where they live or how much money they earn — can build the foundation for a stable, healthy future for themselves and their families.
Now more than ever, we must work together to make the #CostOfHome something we all can afford.
