Thursday, Sep 1 2011 2:28PM
More affordable housing is needed in the county, a university study shows.
The supply of affordable housing for residents of Tooele County, Utah, who make less than 50 percent of the median area income doesn't meet the demand, a University of Utah study shows, according to the Tooele Transcript Bulletin.
James Wood, director of the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the university, conducted a housing needs assessment for the county in July. In his report, Wood says the number of affordable housing units, both owner-occupied and rentals, for low- and very low-income residents was severely lacking.
"The local housing market is performing well in providing affordable housing to those households in Tooele County with incomes above 50 percent of the annual median income. For those households with incomes below 50 percent of the median income, there is a deficit of affordable housing," Wood stated.
Tooele County Housing Authority Executive Director DeAnn Christensen told the newspaper roughly 1,300 county residents are on a waiting list to receive vouchers to help pay for housing.
The county's jobless rate may have to do with the considerable number of residents in need of affordable housing. According to the Department of Labor, Tooele County's unemployment rate in June was 8.1 percent.