Is Affordable Housing Affordable for Single Moms?

You hear it all the time when it comes to solving homelessness: We need more affordable housing. But does affordable housing really make a difference? And is affordable housing really affordable, especially for a segment of the population most inclined to need it?

First, what is affordable housing?

Experts says affordable housing means housing that doesn’t cost more than 30% of the family income. For low-income families a common type of “affordable housing” comes with the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program. To qualify for most housing programs, a household must make less than 50% of the Area Median Income of their area. These programs typically come with waiting lists and getting on a list does not guarantee that you qualify for housing. Moreover, some waiting lists are up to two years.

For low-income families without outside assistance, affording rent is not a reality. One study found that a renter working 40 hours a week and earning minimum wage cannot afford a two-bedroom apartment anywhere in the nation. And that’s just renting. It’s been found that two-thirds of renters in America say they can’t afford to buy a home, and home prices are rising at twice the rate of wage growth.

From there, problems compound with lack of homes available on the market, tax cuts that end up benefiting only middle- and upper-middle-class homeowners, and the rising costs of labor and materials to build homes. On top of all that, efforts to build more houses then end up in red tape and local politics based on the fact that we all want affordable housing, but no one wants it in their own backyards.

The problem is vast and complex, and if you’re looking for housing, you’re homeless, or you’re at risk of being homeless, it can be almost impossible to literally get your foot in the door. Solutions often don’t reach the ones who need it most, and if you’re a single mom, your challenges get even bigger.

Poverty common

It’s been found that of the 7.3 million families headed by working single mothers, over 2 million are living well below the national poverty line. Another 2.5 million single moms struggle to make ends meet.

Adding to prevailing issues of lack of education, unequal pay, and jobs that pay only the minimum wage, single moms also face the challenge of maternity leave and childcare. While the Family and Medical Leave Act grants moms up to 12 weeks off, the leave is only for those who have worked at a company for over a year and there is no stipulation that the time off has to be paid.

The cost of childcare is tacked on, and it’s not cheap. One study found that the annual cost of center-based infant care averaged over 40% of the state median income for a single mother. And, experts report that in 49 states the average cost of childcare exceeds the annual cost of public college tuition.

Rates so high mean even low paychecks for single moms get even lower. And then it comes a question of: Can you afford to work, and can you afford not to?

On the ground solutions

What’s needed is a realistic affordable housing plan combined with fair wages and access to resources that provide for the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of single moms who are homeless or at risk of being homeless (this is called supportive housing). Affordable housing doesn’t work if there are wait lists, or not enough spaces. Having 70% of your income reserved for non-living expenses doesn’t cover life if your wages are too low to begin with, or you need even more money to cover childcare. The solutions currently available are not realistic, nor will they break the cycle of poverty that affects not only these moms but their next generation.

To learn more, check out my latest podcast on Affordable Housing. And to donate to a boots-on-the-ground program that is making a difference for women in Southern California, give to my fundraiser for Saint Johns Program for Real Change.