There is not a single county in the United States that can fill 100% of its lower-income population’s needs for safe, affordable housing. If the people who are the backbone of our economy can’t afford decent places to live, what then? When working families are living in cars, what does that say about all of us? When young people who are new to the workforce and working families with children have to compete, often unsuccessfully, for the same, limited number of housing units, what does that lead to?

Housing unaffordability doesn’t only hurt those who rent. It creates a drag on businesses trying to maintain a workforce. Importantly, the sectors of the workforce most affected are those providing the services and skills that help to create and maintain a good quality of life for all of us. Employers alone can’t fix the situation through higher wages. The gap between incomes and housing costs is simply too wide.