skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Wash. Rent Prices Leaving Wages Behind, Linked to Homeless Numbers

play audio
Play

Monday, June 18, 2018   

SEATTLE — A person earning minimum wage would have to work 75 hours a week to afford a one-bedroom apartment in Washington state. That's according to the new report, "Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing."

The annual analysis of the rental market found Washingtonians would need to earn nearly $27 per hour to afford a two-bedroom place to live. Rachael Myers is executive director of the Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance, which released the report alongside its national partner.

She said the growing issue of homelessness on the West Coast is directly related to skyrocketing housing costs.

"We were actually making some progress in the state on reducing homelessness between about 2006 and 2013 or '14, and that's when the costs of housing just sort of shot up at a pace that we hadn't seen before,” Myers said. “Right at that same time is when we started seeing homelessness significantly increasing again."

The Seattle area is the epicenter of the affordable-housing crisis. Workers there would have to make about $36 per hour to afford two-bedroom housing - which is more than three-times the state's minimum hourly wage of $11.50. Rents have not risen in rural Washington as fast as in the rest of the state, but Myers noted it's also harder to find a job in these places.

Housing costs have gone up even as the economy grows and unemployment continues to shrink. Myers said the growth is mainly benefiting high-income individuals and, as a result, exacerbating income inequality. She said the state has added a lot of high-wage jobs, such as those in the technology sector, at the same time that housing costs have soared.

"The two things are tied together. So as the economy grows on sort of the high end, that is part of what drives up housing costs,” she said. “So it makes it even more challenging for low-income people to be able to afford a place to live."

Myers said one solution to this issue is more funding for affordable housing. For those at or near homelessness, she said, that means more subsidized housing.

Myers added that local restrictions on how quickly rents can rise could be another solution. She said addressing that issue would require the state to lift its ban on rent stabilization.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …


A 2022 report finds failing to speed up transmission beyond the current pace will increase 2030 U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 800 million tons per year. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021