Affordable Housing Advocacy

• We must all work together to end this crisis.

  If Syracuse Habitat for Humanity built at our current rate, it would take thousands of years to completely eradicate this crisis. This is at today's level of need!

• How to be an affordable housing Advocate

  1. Continue to volunteer for and donate to Syracuse Habitat for Humanity.
  2. Educate others that the affordable housing crisis is more than just about houses; it's about building stronger communities.
  3. Stay informed on housing issues locally, statewide and nationally.
  4. Call and write your elected officials and let them know that this crisis must end.

• And to learn how you can help Habitat for Humanity advocate for affordable housing issues at a state and federal level please visit www.advocatewithhabitat.org

Did you know?

• "Affordability is the single greatest housing challenge facing the nation."

  "There is simply not enough affordable housing."

  *2002 report of the Millennial Housing Commission mandated by Congress to investigate the nation's housing challenges.

• "Affordable" is housing that costs less than 30% of a household's annual income.

• 31% of people in Syracuse live below the poverty line; more than double the state average. *

  *2005 Census estimate on Syracuse.

• The median income for Syracuse households is $25,000, with the statewide median at $41,000.*

  *2000 Census Data on Syracuse

• 21% of people in Syracuse have a household income of less than $10,000. Only 4% have a household income of $100,000 or more.*

  *2000 Census Data on Syracuse.

• More than half of Syracuse residents have a household income of less than $24,000. Only 4% have a household income of $100,000 or more.*

  *2000 Census Data on Syracuse.

• To afford a fair-market price of a 2-bedroom rental in the U.S., a worker would have to earn a wage of $12.47 per hour, 233% of the current minimum wage.*

  *The National Low Income Housing Coalition. Gap between Minimum Wage and Rental Housing Costs Grow, 1974 through 1993

• The median gross rent in Syracuse is $580. For the 21% of households with an income of less than $10,000, a year's rent is 70% of their annual income.*

  *2000 Census Data on Syracuse.

• For the 21% of households in Syracuse with a income of less than $10,000, a year's rent is 70% of their annual income. This is a "Worst-Case Housing Need," according to HUD.*

  *2000 Census Data on Syracuse and "A Report on Worst-Case Housing Needs."

• 31% of Syracuse residents have a household income of less than $15,000. Only 4% have a household income of $100,000 or more.*

  *2000 Census Data on Syracuse.

Facts and Figures

• Compared to renters of the same age, income, race, etc., homeowners in the U.S. are:

  1. 12 times wealthier
  2. 15% more likely to vote
  3. 16% more likely to belong to school or community organizations
  4. 16% more likely to belong to school or community organizations
  5. 10% more likely to attend church
  6. 12% more like to maintain a garden
  7. 28% more likely to repair or improve their homes.

• Children of homeowners are:

  1. 25% more likely to graduate from high school
  2. 116% more likely to graduate from college
  3. Have 3% fewer behavioral problems
  4. 59% more likely to won their own home within 10 years of leaving their parent's household
  5. 20% less likely to become teenage mothers.

Did you know that the affordable housing crisis affects other social issues?

Health: National Stats

• "Exposure to cockroaches at home sends 9,995 inner-city children between the ages of 4 and 9 to the hospital for asthma treatment that would not otherwise be necessary."*

  *1998 "Not Safe at Home" Report, Boston Medical Center and Children's Hospital.

• "Exposed radiators burn 1,485 children each year, and 187 children die each year from fires attributed to electrical and heating problems."*

• "Exposed radiators burn 1,485 children each year, and 187 children die each year from fires attributed to electrical and heating problems."*

  *1998 "Not Safe at Home" Report, Boston Medical Center and Children's Hospital.

• "A collective 2.5 million IQ points will be lost due to lead poisoning among children ages 1 – 5."*

  *1998 "Not Safe at Home" Report, Boston Medical Center and Children's Hospital.

• "There are 21,392 children 3 years and younger with stunted growth attributable to their families' being on the waiting list for housing assistance, which forces parents to decide between paying for rent and heat or feeding their children."*

  *1998 "Not Safe at Home" Report, Boston Medical Center and Children's Hospital.

• "There are 120,202 children ages 6 months to 6 years who have iron-deficiency anemia caused by the poor diet that results from parents having to spend food money on housing."*

  *1998 "Not Safe at Home" Report, Boston Medical Center and Children's Hospital.

• "Children from poverty environments have higher rates of birth defects and early disabilities; they recover poorly from early problems; they are more often ill and malnourished throughout their childhood years."*

  *L. V. Klerman, 1991

• "Many children experiencing the impact of urban poverty and decay show all the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder."*

  *J. Garbarino, N. Dubrow, K. Kostelny, and C. Pardo, 1992

• For the 21% of households in Syracuse with a income of less than $10,000, a year's rent is 70% of their annual income. This is a "Worst-Case Housing Need," according to HUD.*

  *2000 Census Data on Syracuse and "A Report on Worst-Case Housing Needs."

• 31% of Syracuse residents have a household income of less than $15,000. Only 4% have a household income of $100,000 or more.*

  *2000 Census Data on Syracuse.

Education: National Stats

• "Children in poverty go to school less ready to learn to read, and from that early point they consistently do less well in school and are less likely to go on to college."*

  *A. C. Huston, 1994

• "Children from poverty environments typically have lower IQ's and slower cognitive development. The more years they have lived in poverty, the larger observed decrease in IQ."*

  *G. J. Duncan, 1994

• "Nearly half of inner-city elementary school children in Chicago, Washington, D.C., New Orleans and elsewhere have witnessed muggings, and a third have seen shootings or dead bodies. Among high school students in the inner city, 42 percent have witnessed a shooting and a third have seen a stabbing."*

  *W. R. Hammond and B.R. Yung 1994

Affordable housing is more than just about houses; it's about building stronger communities.