Report: Affordable Mo. rental homes in short supply

A national report on affordable rental housing conditions found a short supply for Missouri low-income households.

The report - dubbed Affordable Housing Is Nowhere to Be Found for Millions and released this month by Empower Missouri and the National Low Income Housing Coalition - indicates there are 34 rental homes affordable and available for every 100 extremely low-income households in the state. These households represent income at or below 30 percent of the area median, according to a news release.

The report found 127,833 rental homes are needed statewide to close the rental housing gap for the low-income group.

Compared to other states, Missouri has the 25th fewest affordable and available rental units and is above the national number of 31 units per 100 extremely low-income households, according to the release.

In Missouri, 91 percent of extremely low-income renters spend over half their income on rent and utility costs, noted by the report as a sign of impending homelessness.

“This report confirms what we suspected - that the supply of affordable housing continues to lag substantially behind that demand, leaving many Missouri households with very limited housing choices,” said Jeanette Mott Oxford, executive director of Empower Missouri, in the release. “If we want to prevent and end homelessness and ensure that every family in Missouri has access to safe, decent, affordable homes, we have to do better.”

To address the issue, Empower Missouri is working to:

• update the Missouri State Housing Trust Fund;
• promote the National Housing Trust Fund, which is administered by the Missouri Housing Development Commission; and
• support the National Low Income Housing Coalition in its campaign for more affordable rental housing.