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working poor & life chances
Javier Aparicio, a 47-year-old taxi driver from Mexico City, has taken countless jobs. In his 24 years of living in Houston, he has worked in restaurants in every position from being a dishwasher to a waiter. Recently, he opened with his wife, a makeshift taqueria located in the Southwest of the city.
Aparicio acknowledges that without the income from the taqueria, he would not be able to pay rent for his two bedroom apartment. He is one of many Texans that pay 30 percent or more of their income for housing. It is no surprise considering the 2000 U.S. Census reports that for most low and moderate income families, housing is the biggest single expense.
The Texas Low Income Housing Information Service, a non-profit organization headquartered in Austin, says Houston has 54,329 renter households that pay more than half of their income on rent. The organization says that a full-time minimum wage job does not ensure enough income to afford housing in Houston.
A minimum wage employee, earning $5.15 per hour must work 50 hours per week in order to afford a two-bedroom. Aparicio, who earns minimum wage, says that he pays $475 for rent, excluding utilities. In order to afford his monthly rent, he needs to earn $1,108 a month, leaving 70 percent of his income for other expenses as recommended by consumer experts.
“If I worked just 40 hours a week, I wouldn’t have enough money for rent and other needs,” Aparicio says.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determines the average fair market rent, which is based on surveys conducted in each community. The average monthly fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Houston is $588. The Texas Low Incoming Housing Information Service reports 59 percent of the apartments in the community rent for more than the fair market rent.
HUD says the affordable housing shortage in the greater Houston area is evident. For HUD, the “worst case” is the one reported by more than 50,000 renters in Houston who use over 50 percent of their total household income to pay for shelter.
While housing needs are growing in Houston, some policies developed by the government are addressing the issues. The Low Income Housing Tax Credit is the nation’s primary tool for developing affordable rental housing. It serves low income families by building or by giving tax credits to private builders.
In December 2000, Congress approved a tax bill that included a 40 percent increase for the credit. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the increase will generate over $1 billion or more in equity investments annually and produce about 40,000 additional homes in the country.
© Copyright World Internet News 2006-07
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