The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) recently published a summary of findings from the Rental Housing Preservation Database (RHPD). With 2023 nearing its end, the housing affordability crisis has grown increasingly dire, with only one in four eligible low-income households receiving long-term federal housing assistance due to limited funds.
In 2023, there were 353 active rental housing programs across the country, including 281 state-funded programs and 72 locally funded programs among the largest cities. Over half of these programs provide capital for the construction, rehabilitation, purchase, and operation of affordable rental housing properties. Most programs that provide capital resources (60% of programs) require affordability periods of longer than 20 years.
The most common income eligibility threshold for rental assistance programs was at or below 50% of Area Median Income (AMI), which is the threshold for 23% of programs in the RHPD. Just under 22% of programs used at or below 80% of AMI as the eligibility threshold. Meanwhile, the most common non-income eligibility criterion (used by 60% of programs) was those who are experiencing or being at risk of homelessness.
Forty percent of tax relief programs require applicants to have an annual income at or below $35,000. Nearly 70% of programs prioritize elderly renters and nearly half (47.8% of programs) target renters with disabilities. The report continues to summarize the number of programs found within each state and city by program type.