Unite to promote affordable housing
Editor: I write to bring attention to the growing crisis of affordable housing. We see that more and more Pennsylvanians are forced to choose between which bills get paid on time and which bills have to wait until the next paycheck. As the prices of everyday goods continue to rise, the situation will only be exacerbated by the continued rise of rents and mortgages.
Fair housing month is observed in April, and as the month winds to a close, we need to take a quick stock of the situation in our area. The 2024 median household income for Lackawanna County was $66,223 per census statistics. Per the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD), there are almost 88,000 occupied housing units in Lackawanna County, where 75% of renters live below the HUD-Adjusted Area Median Family Income (HAMFI). Of those that own their homes, 38% live below the HAMFI. This means 3 in 4 renters, and almost 2 in 5 homeowners, in Lackawanna County make under the median income. These figures should be alarming. They speak to the growing income inequality and affordability crisis. Frozen wages and steadily rising mortgage and rent payments will only see this situation get worse.
I write this letter as one of the 75% of renters. I know the difficult financial decisions that need to be made in order to stay afloat. I have chosen between rent or healthcare, between food or utilities. I have faced eviction. I take solace knowing that I am not alone in this struggle. As a PA Stands Up member, I am one of many people working to find solutions through community organizing. If you share these struggles, join the Pennsylvania Stands Up movement, get involved with the statewide housing team, and help to build a better, more equitable world.
Anthony Bodtmann, Scranton