Affordable Housing in D.C. Becoming More and More Scarce

That was the headline from one of yesterday's DCist post.  Ask any resident and they can tell you that rent prices have been on the rise over the last ten years (I can definitely attest to that as well).  According to a report published yesterday by the DC Fiscal Policy Institute:

"D.C.'s stock of affordable housing has fallen by 50 percent over the last decade while low-value homes—those costing less than $250,000—have declined by 72 percent. All told, 50 percent more one-bedroom apartments cost $1,100 a month today than they did in 2000, while the number of apartments with rents and utilities of under $750 fell dramatically, from over 70,000 units in 2000 to just over 34,000 in 2010. Additionally, incomes are not keeping pace with housing costs, and one in five D.C. households spends more than half their income on housing."

That last bit is staggering.  Unfortunately as rundown parts of the cities are being gentrified and new homes/apartments are being built, the government and private sector is doing very little to insure that there are affordable housing options for the working poor and low/middle class residents.  Several case studies have been done on the topic of affordable housing DC, most recently in Columbia Heights which has seen a huge change within the last five years.   Hispanic populations have begun to mover further north, and even above the District's city lines, to find affordable housing.  Another area which has more reasonable rent, but is a much further commute from the city's center is east of the Anacostia River.  Wards 7 and 8 have had a whole host of problems over the past few decades - poor educational outcomes, increased health disparities, high rates of homicide and violence, etc.  While rent prices are lower here, many families have to carefully weigh cheaper rent against living in a safe neighborhood.  Unfortunately, some do not have an option and although they would like to move west of the river, they do not have the means to do so. 

The article goes on to state:

"Things aren't looking up for the cause, though. Over the last two years, funds for the D.C. Housing Production Trust Fund—whose mission is to protect and provide affordable housing—have been cut by $38 million."

As you can see from the graph, median prices for a one bedroom apartment have been on the rise.  To be completely honest, in the neighborhoods I have always lived in (which range from the super nice area of Foggy Bottom to the edges of new gentrification in Shaw) I have never seen a one bedroom/studio for $1,100.  In order to make rent affordable I always had roommates, and even then prices were in the $800-900 realm. 

Check out the full report from DC Fiscal Policy Institute, an affiliate of the DC Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.