Wednesday, Feb 2 2011 11:21PM
Thousands of Americans lost their jobs during the recession, making the need for afordable housing counseling more pressing than ever.
Worst case housing needs in the U.S. grew by almost 1.2 million households between 2007 and 2009, with rural communities in the West seeing the biggest decline in affordable housing units, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In a congressional report, the HUD defined "worst case housing needs" as low-income households who pay more than half of their monthly income for rent, live in extremely substandard housing, or both. The agency concluded there is an obvious link between the unemployment rate and rising worst case needs, most likely an effect of the economic recession.
While the need for housing assistance is pressing across the nation, the Western states have the smallest supply of affordable rental housing. The HUD study found that in the Western region there are only 53 units available for every 100 low-income households, compared with 65 in the South, 66 in the Northeast and 87 in the Midwest. Furthermore, families that include a person with disabilities, children or senior citizens are also more likely to qualify as a worst case household.
In response to the struggle for housing assistance faced by thousands of Americans, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has created multiple loan programs to help low to moderate-income residents of rural communities reach their dreams of homeownership.