Category Archives: 2-HousingThink Topics

The Young-Parent Balancing Act

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“For young parents in work and school, more time spent in both activities can mean higher earnings in future years. Urban research shows that each 1 percent increase in parents’ time spent combining work and education is associated with a $451 bump in annual family income at age 30 (although there are other factors at play).”

https://www.urban.org/features/young-parent-balancing-act

Single Mothers Are Surging Into the Work Force

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“Single mothers in the United States can face many barriers to employment, like finding affordable child care and predictable work schedules. For many, a sick child or a flat tire can mean a lost job.

Yet since 2015, something surprising has happened: The share of young single mothers in the work force has climbed about four percentage points, driven by those without college degrees, according to a New York Times analysis of Current Population Survey data. It’s a striking rise even compared with other groups of women who have increased their labor force participation during this period of very low unemployment.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/upshot/single-mothers-surge-employment.html?smid=em-share


The Child Care Crisis Is Keeping Women Out of the Workforce

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“There is a growing awareness of the links among access to child care, parental employment, and overall economic growth. Businesses rely on employees, and employees rely on child care. When problems with child care arise, parents must scramble to find alternative options—or miss work to care for their children. For millions of parents, that insecurity can mean working fewer hours, taking a pay cut, or leaving their jobs altogether.”

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/reports/2019/03/28/467488/child-care-crisis-keeping-women-workforce/

How NOT to Make Housing More Affordable

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“Economists from both the left and the right have a well-established aversion to rent control, arguing that such policies ignore the message of rising prices, which is to build more housing. Studies in San Francisco and elsewhere show that price caps often prompt landlords to abandon the rental business by converting their units to owner-occupied homes. “

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/11/business/economy/california-rent-control.html

Police Salaries in Charlotte, NC

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Police officers are yet another profession that earn too much to live in affordable housing and too little to live in newer market rate apartments.

According to glassdoor.com, the average Charlotte-area police salary currently stands at $44,540. This is 53% of the Charlotte-area median family income of $83,500. Assuming a rent qualification ratio of 30%, the average police officer can afford $1,113/month in rent. This is 25% below the typical rent for newer multifamily properties in the Charlotte area, forcing many police officers to move into older, less-desirable housing.

https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/charlotte-police-salary-SRCH_IL.0,9_IM162_KO10,16.htm


The YIMBY Act Passes House by Voice Vote

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“The YIMBY Act, which was championed by Representatives Denny Heck (D-Wash.) and Trey Hollingsworth (R-Ind.), would use Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Plans to support modernizing outdated codes that hinder housing and undermine sound local plans. The senate version of the legislation (S. 1919) was introduced last year by Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).”

https://dennyheck.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/yes-in-my-backyard-act-passes-house-by-voice-vote

https://www.planning.org/home/action/nimby/