Advocacy Data

Even before Covid-19, one quarter of all renters – 11 million households – paid more than 50 percent of their income in rent. (State of the Nation’s Housing 2019, Joint Center for Housing Studies)
Nearly half of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing. (America’s Rental Housing, 2020, Joint Center for Housing Studies)
Since 2001, rents have risen 13% nationwide—and much more in high-cost areas—but renter incomes have risen less than .5%. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)

Black and Hispanic families' median net worth is less than 15% of the median net worth of white families. (Recent Trends in Wealth-Holding by Race and Ethnicity: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances, 2017, The Federal Reserve)
Twenty percent of Black households, 18% of American Indian or Alaska Native households, 14% of Latino households, and 10% of Asian households are extremely low-income renters. Just 6% of white non-Latino households are extremely low-income renters. (National Low-Income Housing Coalition)
The racial pay gap is widening: In 2000, median wages for Black people were 79.2% of white wages; by 2018 they were 73.3% of white wages (State of Working American Wages, Economic Policy Institute)
Between 1983 and 2013, the median wealth of Black and Latino households decreased by 75% (from $6,800 to $1,700) and 50% (from $4,000 to $2,000), respectively, while median White household wealth rose by 14% (from $102,200 to $116,800). (The Road to Zero Wealth, Institute for Policy)
Among American children growing up in the poorest families, one in 10 white children will move from the poorest fifth of Americans to the wealthiest fifth. Only one in 15 Hispanic children and one in 50 Black children will do the same. (Equality of Opportunity Project, Race and Economic Opportunity in the United States: An Intergenerational Perspective, 2018)

According to Enterprise’s 2019 survey:
- More than half of the 1,000 renter respondents had delayed medical care because they couldn’t afford it.
- Among severely rent-burdened respondents, nearly half (45%) did not follow a treatment plan provided by a health care professional because they couldn’t afford it, compared with 34% of all renter respondents.
- 100% of medical professionals surveyed (500 in total) have had at least some of their patients express concerns about affordable housing.
A 2016 Enterprise study found that affordable housing paired with health care services lowers Medicaid costs, significantly increases access to primary care and reduces emergency department visits:
- Medicaid expenditures declined 12% overall (16% for seniors and people with disabilities);
- Emergency room visits fell 18% (37% among permanent supportive housing residents); and
- Primary care visits increased 20%.
Renters with children are more likely to have asthma triggers in their homes than owners and renters are more likely to have at least one child with asthma. (Urban Institute, Oct. 2017)
Among renting households with school-age children: (Urban Institute, Oct. 2017)
- 21.5% are exposed to smoke in the home at least monthly
- 21.6% are exposed to leaks
- 12.8% of their homes show evidence of roaches or rodents in the home at least monthly

In 2019, roughly 568,000 people were homeless on a single night, an increase from 553,000 in 2018. (HUD Annual Homeless Assessment Report, Jan. 2020)
More than one-third (37%) were in unsheltered locations. (HUD Annual Homeless Assessment Report, Jan. 2020)
More than half (56%) of the homeless population live in the nation’s highest-cost metros. (State of the Nation’s Housing 2018, Joint Center for Housing Studies)
Nationwide, Black people make up nearly 40% of the homeless population, despite comprising only 13% of the total population. (HUD Annual Homeless Assessment Report, Jan. 2020)
Nearly 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, while the general youth population is only 10% LGBTQ. (National Coalition for the Homeless, June 2017)
1 in 9 Americans live in California, but roughly 1 in 4 Americans experiencing homelessness do. (CalMatters, Jan. 2020)
In Los Angeles, Black people represent 9% of the city’s population, but 40% of people experiencing homelessness. (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, Dec. 2018)

Hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters across the United States caused $95 billion in damage in 2020. (New York Times)
Renters recover slower from climate events and natural disasters than homeowners, Rebuilding Housing In Harvey’s Aftermath: Two Lessons From Hurricanes Katrina And Rita, Joint Center for Housing Studies:
- Homeowners directly control the rebuilding progress of their home, while renters are dependent on their landlords’ rebuilding decisions.
- Policymakers are reluctant to provide rebuilding assistance to rental owners who didn’t purchase sufficient insurance.

Small and medium multifamily properties (fewer than 50 units) are found all throughout the United States, making up 21 percent of the national housing stock and providing homes to 22 percent of the total population.
- They are most commonly found in the central cities and suburbs of major metropolitan areas, where they contribute 34 and 22 percent, respectively, to the total stock of housing units.
Buildings with more than 50 units account for less than 10 percent of all rental units.

Since 1986, the Housing Credit has financed the development of nearly 3.5 million affordable homes in urban, suburban, and rural areas.
The Housing Credit has generated $593 billion in wages and business income and $206 billion in tax revenue, and has supported 5.2 million jobs.
Since inception, the total foreclosure rate for all Housing Credit properties has been only 0.65 percent, which is lower than any real estate asset class.