DWS Press Release
January 11, 2017
Statewide Assessment Shows Utah’s Affordable Housing Gaps, Needs
SALT LAKE CITY (Jan. 11, 2017) - The Department of Workforce Services released the state’s 2016 Affordable Housing Assessment and Plan this week at the Lt. Governor’s Affordable Housing Task Force meeting. The report provides information on the affordable rental housing needs of low-income Utahns.
“We are excited about this new resource to help address the serious need for more affordable housing in Utah,” said Lt. Governor Spencer Cox. “Simply put, affordable housing is a necessity for strong families and communities.”
"This is our first statewide assessment and plan on affordable housing,” said Department of Workforce Services Executive Director Jon Pierpont. “It provides valuable data and analysis on the housing needs and gaps in Utah, especially the scarcity of rental housing that is affordable for our lowest income families.”
Of the 264,000 rental households in Utah, two-thirds are considered low income (earning less than 80 percent of the average median income). Extremely low-income households (30 percent or less than the average median income) is the fastest growing segment, totalling 21 percent of renters in Utah. The report shows that there is a shortage of almost 39,000 units of affordable housing for extremely low-income households.
“Moving forward, we hope this assessment becomes a resources for lawmakers, counties and cities to make affordable housing a part of their planning efforts to support the health of their communities,” said Jonathan Hardy, Director of the Housing and Community Development Division of Workforce Services.
The plan includes recommendations to increase housing for extremely low income households, including additional state tax credits for new affordable housing developments and creating a better understanding of how to utilize funding and resources that already exist.
The full Affordable Housing Assessment and Plan can be viewed here.
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