Washington, D.C. - Today, renters and housing justice groups in over 48 cities and 19 states will take to the streets for the National Renters Day of Action in what promises to be the largest mobilization of renters in recent history.
This day of action brings attention to the growing affordable housing crisis as renters across the country take action to end the epidemic of rising rents and evictions.
Homes for All, the national campaign of housing and land justice organizations coordinating this effort, calls for a freeze on all unjust evictions and the adoption of a livable rent standard to ensure no family pays more than 30% of income on rent.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a Homes for All campaign partner, recently released its Out of Reach report which shows that in order to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent, a full-time worker in America today must earn $20.30 per hour—a figure that is almost $5 more than the average hourly wage of renters in the U.S. A worker earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour would need to work 2.8 full time jobs, or approximately 112 hours per week for all 52 weeks of the year, in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent.
According to Out of Reach, nearly 75% of the poorest households spend more than half of their incomes on housing. "These households are faced with difficult choices between paying the rent and paying for food, medicine, transportation, education or child care," said Diane Yentel, NLIHC president and CEO. "Individuals and families with the lowest incomes are often one accident or emergency away from experiencing homeless."
Ms. Yentel continued, "Urgent action is needed at all government levels to address the housing crisis and ensure that people with the lowest incomes in the United State have access to affordable and decent homes."
For more information, go to: http://homesforall.org/
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Established in 1974 by Cushing N. Dolbeare, the National Low income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that assures people with the lowest income in the United States have affordable and decent homes.