Seattle Press on Line - Study Highlights Rental Housing Crisis in King County

Study Highlights Rental Housing Crisis in King County

Nov 15, 2000 -- According to Out of Reach, a report released by the Washington Low Income Housing Network, 35 percent of renters in Washington are unable to afford a two-bedroom apartment. The report, prepared by the Washington, D.C.-based National Low Income Housing Coalition, analyzes the relationship between rental housing costs and the minimum wage.

"Out of Reach shows that even in the Northwest's booming economy, there is a huge group of people who aren't benefiting by the economic expansion," said Joyce Halldorson of the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County.

The study found that the number of poor, unassisted renters is at an all-time high, and the number of housing units available to them is decreasing. It also found that the amount the renter must earn to afford a one- or two-bedroom unit anywhere in the country, called the housing wage, exceeds the minimum wage--often by a factor of two or more.

In King County, it found that 44 percent of renters are unable to afford rent for a two-bedroom unit. To afford a two-bedroom unit, renters must earn an hourly wage of $15.56. On average, minimum wage workers must work 96 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom unit. In Washington State, 35 percent of renters are unable to afford rent for a two-bedroom unit.

Washington ranks as the 14th most expensive among the 50 states and D.C. for housing costs. To afford a two-bedroom unit, renters must earn an hourly wage of $12.62. On average, minimum wage workers must work 78 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom unit. In five of Washington's metro areas, minimum wage workers must work at least 80 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom unit.

The study is available on-line at the National Low Income Housing Coalition's Web site at www.nlihc.org/oor2000.

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