Our country is facing a workforce housing shortage: there is a lack of high-quality rental housing available at levels that America’s middle-income workers can afford. These middle-income workers include teachers, nurses, first responders, social workers, and many more essential workers that are critical to the health and prosperity of our communities. While federal programs are available to support the creation of high-quality, low-income housing, there are currently no such programs that incentivize developers to build quality housing for middle-income workers.
This lack of public support is leaving middle-income workers in a housing limbo, where their income is too high to qualify for subsidized housing but not high enough to afford comfortable market-rate housing in the communities that they serve. This creates what is known as the “missing middle” – middle-income families that earn too little to afford Class A market-rate housing and too much to qualify for traditional affordable housing.
As a result, many individuals and families throughout major cities are forced to resort to outdated Class B and C apartment communities or commute long distances to the places they are employed.
