The poorest in the US can’t find housing even as low-income units sit empty

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Mathew Davis, who lives in a homeless shelter in Austin, Texas, would love an apartment of his own.

Key points

• Over 4, 500 units the city classifies as affordable – almost 16% – sit empty.
• "I don't make enough money really to afford anything, " Davis, 49, remarked of the few hundred dollars he earns a month.
• Some cities are now seeing an uptick in vacancies as rents for these units approach market rates.
• Some individuals are forced into homelessness and others into desperate circumstances to pay for housing they can't afford.
• The poorest individuals in the U.S.

Meanwhile, over 4, 500 units the city classifies as affordable – almost 16% – sit empty.

"I don't make enough money really to afford anything, " Davis, 49, remarked of the few hundred dollars he earns a month. "I just keep trying to swim uphill."

For context, the poorest individuals in the U.S. Face the most acute shortages of affordable homes. But most of low-income housing financed over recent years is for those earning 50% of an area's median income or above, according to a survey of state housing agencies.

Some cities are now seeing an uptick in vacancies as rents for these units approach market rates. The result: Apartments designated as affordable sit empty since the poorest of the poor cannot afford them.

Meanwhile, some individuals are forced into homelessness and others into desperate circumstances to pay for housing they can't afford.

For now, the poorest in the US cant find housing even as low remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.