The National Low Income Housing Coalition has released its Out of Reach report for 2021 and John and Christina are back in the studio to discuss how Texas fits into the analysis. Turns out, low-wage workers have a hard time finding affordable housing in Texas, with very little help from state government.
Out of Reach ’21 shows that minimum wage workers in Texas cannot afford an apartment in any county or city without being cost-burdened or extremely cost-burdened. This means thousands of essential workers who were regarded as heroes during the pandemic often return home after a shift to a house they likely cannot afford and could lose with one financial emergency.
For workers making minimum wage in Texas, on average they would have to work 3 full time jobs in order to afford a 2-bedroom rental home and work 2.5 full time jobs to afford a 1-bedroom rental home. These numbers actually rise in metros like Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth.
The A Little Louder hosts are joined by Texas Housers Senior Research Analyst Ben Martin who helps dissect Out of Reach ’21 and what can be done to fix this crisis for far too many Texans.
You can listen to ‘Episode 36: Who Can Afford The Rent In Texas?’ below or wherever you get your podcasts.
