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What States Have The Most Section 8 Affordable Housing?
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) publishes information on public-housing inventory and Census population data. From this information, you can determine which states have the most Section 8 housing units per person. Some states are no surprises while others in the lead come unexpectedly.
Section 8 housing is the federal government's housing program which offers subsidies to help low-income families afford their rent. Here are the top 6 states leading the list of affordable housing per person.
1. Washington, D.C. - comes as no surprise because it has the highest poverty rate in the nation. D.C. leads with 13,662, or 2.27 percent of the population.
2. New York - also is no surprise due to its vast population, need for public housing, and aggressive housing initiatives. NY comes in at number 2 with 240,337 or 1.24 percent of the population.
3. Massachusetts - listed at number 3, Massachusetts has 79,870 affordable housing units, representing 1.22 percent of the population. This is a state where public housing issues are not as easily associated. Reasons could include the median home price of $324,500, increasing rent and an economy that is slow to recover that is encouraging the state to respond with more affordable housing.
4. North Dakota - this state is another surprise, coming in at number 4 with 8,062 public housing units, which is 1.20 percent of the population. North Dakota has a high number of homeless veterans. Since 2008, a total of 58,250 vouchers have been awarded and 43,371 formerly homeless veterans have a place to live because of low-income housing.
5. Louisiana - comes as no surprise because it has the fourth highest poverty rate in the country. Low-income housing is at 54,046, or 1.19 percent of the population.
6. Connecticut - may be in the top six, like Massachusetts, due to its high housing costs and rising rents. Connecticut has 39,629 low-income housing units, which places it at 1.11 percent of the population.