Latest news with #DepartmentofHousingandUrbanDevelopment
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
A Gen X couple living in a camper says hourly wages aren't enough to afford housing: 'It just feels like it's out of reach'
Things fell apart for Chris Hoskey in 2020. She lost her job of nine years managing returns for a cashmere clothing company just north of Detroit because of the pandemic. Without her $14-per-hour income, she couldn't afford rent at her mobile home park, so she sold her trailer for a few thousand dollars and left town. "Losing my job made me lose everything," said Hoskey, who is now 49. In search of work and a place to stay, she bought a camper and moved to northern Michigan, where she found a string of low-wage jobs in fast food and hotel housekeeping. After several months of unemployment, she started a new part-time job in early July at an Amazon delivery station, making $18.50 an hour. Hoskey would rather have a full-time job. She's had trouble landing more than 20 hours of work in a week. An Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider that all associates at the Traverse City facility are limited to part-time work, or what the company calls "flex time." Despite having a job, supplementing healthcare and food costs with Medicaid and SNAP, and splitting costs with her husband, Jason, Hoskey doesn't see a path out of her camper. Jason recently began working nearly full-time at a landscaping company, where he makes $16.75 an hour, but the work is seasonal. "Right now, financially, things suck," she said. "It's becoming more and more difficult to try to get out of this situation." Hoskey and her husband are among a growing number of Americans who are working but experiencing homelessness. Many have low-wage jobs with unpredictable schedules that don't offer them the financial security and stability needed to pay rising rents. Nearly 5 million American workers want full-time work but can only get part-time, a number that's been creeping up in recent years. The Department of Housing and Urban Development counts people who resort to living in campers or RVs without utilities like running water "unsheltered homeless" population. The overall population of people who are working but can't afford basic necessities is growing. "There's different types of homeless," Hoskey said. "There are the people you see on TV, and then there are people like me who are working for a living." If you have a story to share, reach out to this reporter at erelman@ and read more Business Insider coverage on how renters, homeowners, and people experiencing homelessness are dealing with a shortage of housing and rising costs: A boomer quit nursing to live on $2,972 monthly in Social Security in an RV in America's parks: 'I literally live in heaven' America's unhinged real estate market is driving down the birth rate Meet the boomer homeowners who are sitting on their valuable properties because of a tax they hope is on the way out Working and homeless About a month into her new job, Hoskey likes working at Amazon, where she says her colleagues are friendly and caring. But despite having work that pays more than Michigan's $12.48 minimum wage, the unpredictable part-time gig likely isn't enough for Hoskey to chart a path out of homelessness. A 2024 survey of Amazon's warehouse workers by the University of Illinois in Chicago found that 48% had difficulty paying for rent or other housing costs in the prior three months, 53% experienced food insecurity, and 33% relied on one or more forms of public assistance. Amazon has disputed the UIC study's findings, calling its methodology flawed. Similarly, a 2019 report by the nonprofit Economic Roundtable found that full-time Amazon warehouse workers in Southern California received an average of $5,094 in public assistance annually. "Wages are inadequate, jobs are intermittent, hours are unpredictable and unstable, and people don't get enough money to pay rent," Daniel Flaming, president of the Economic Roundtable, said of workplaces like Amazon's warehouses. "The bottom line is this: our goal is to be an employer of choice and over the last five years we've worked to do that in part by investing more than $5 billion in hourly pay, increasing our average to $22 per hour in the United States," Amazon spokesperson Eileen Hards said in a statement. When running water is a luxury For now, the couple is parked on Jason's employer's property, where they pay a minimal fee to use the company's electricity, bathroom, and kitchen. They don't have running water in their camper. Hoskey relies on government health insurance and food assistance. Michigan's state housing authority stopped issuing new Section 8 housing vouchers and closed the waitlist for the program in 2024 amid a shortage of federal funding. When they've gotten really desperate, Hoskey said Jason has asked his mother for $50 here and there. "I feel so bad about it," Hoskey said. "Because she lives on Social Security." They have a propane heater to stay warm in the frigid northern winters, but they cover their 28-foot travel trailer with a tarp for part of the year to keep snow and ice off of it. In the summer, they have an air conditioning unit, but they turn it off when they want to microwave something or use the air fryer. "I want to be able to wash my dishes in my own sink," Hoskey said. "It's the little things that I miss." The couple hopes to eventually save up enough money to buy a piece of land in northwest Michigan, build a house, and become homesteaders. "I try to stay optimistic as much as possible, but we've been here doing this for so long, it just feels like it's out of reach," Hoskey said.
The Hill
01-08-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Congress must hold cities accountable for holding back first-time home buyers
The market for first-time home buyers in America is dismal. Since 2021, the annual income needed to qualify for a mortgage has increased by 60 percent, driving the median age of a first-time home buyer to 38 years old — a record high. One reason young Americans are struggling to buy their first homes is that we aren't building enough of them. In May, new home construction rates in the U.S. fell to their lowest level since the pandemic. On an annual basis, new home construction is down nearly 5 percent. The U.S. needs to increase its housing supply to put the American dream of homeownership back in reach for average families. Congress, however, has a knack for taking complex problems and making them worse by forcing a one-size-fits-all solution on communities that we haven't set foot in. The housing problem must be solved at the local level, and this starts by removing nonsensical regulations. Today, costs associated with homebuilding regulations make up 25 percent of the sticker price for a new single-family home and 40 percent of the cost of a new apartment complex. These regulations also prolong the building process. Nowhere is this problem clearer than in Los Angeles. When wildfires ripped through Los Angeles in January, officials estimated that it would take upwards of 18 months to clean up the 2.5 million tons of debris left behind. The Trump however, worked with state and local officials to complete the clean-up in just six months — a tremendous accomplishment. During those same six months, however, Los Angeles County officials approved only 90 of the more than 1,200 building permit applications it received in the wake of the fires. In other words, it's easier to clean up 2.5 million tons of wildfire wreckage than it is to clear Los Angeles' building-permit red tape. And Los Angeles wonders why families are fleeing. Congress shouldn't force one-size-fits-all building codes on every community, but the federal government has an obligation to avoid wasting taxpayer dollars on cities that sacrifice the American Dream at the altar of overregulation. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and I introduced the Build Now Act to incentivize new home construction by tying each city's funding through the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant Program to their rate of homebuilding. Here's how it will work: Cities that fail to increase their rate of homebuilding faster than the national median rate would lose 10 percent of their Community Development Block Grant funding. HUD would then reallocate those funds to cities that exceeded the national median rate of home building. Cities with the most growth will receive the biggest pieces of that pie. America's metropolitan areas will have two years to start building homes before HUD crunches the numbers to determine whether they will receive the carrot or the stick from the Community Development Block Grant Program. Cities that have homeownership costs under control, such as those where the median home price is below the national median, won't see any changes to their Community Development Block Grant funding. Nor would any city that issued an emergency disaster declaration in the last year. The rest of our major cities, however, will need to start allowing builders to build. The solution to America's housing crisis isn't going to come out of Washington. A strategy that works in Baton Rouge may not work in Boston. But too many cities are regulating away the possibility of homeownership, and Congress is done throwing good money after bad policies. The U.S. is the freest, most prosperous nation in the world. Buying your first home shouldn't feel like a pipe dream. It's time to start rewarding the cities that are working hard to make homeownership a reality for American families — and stripping funding from those that don't.
The Hill
30-07-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Senate panel advances bipartisan housing bill
The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on Tuesday advanced a bipartisan bill aimed at boosting housing supply, improving housing affordability and increasing the efficiency of federal regulators and housing programs. The committee unanimously voted to advance the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act of 2025 — led by Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — in the committee's first bipartisan housing markup in more than a decade. Scott touted the bipartisan effort and noted that it comes as senators' constituents, from all areas of the country, continue to point to housing access and affordability as a top economic concern of theirs. 'For far too long, Congress believed this problem was too big to solve. Today, we're taking not a step – but we're taking a leap in the right direction in a bipartisan fashion,' Scott said in remarks at the markup. 'Many people around the country are frustrated with the way we do American politics wonder, is there any issue that brings this nation together and I'm here to say, halleluiah! We have found one – it is housing. And halleluiah is a southern term, but it's a term of endearment. The massive legislation contains proposals from every member of the committee. The bill includes incentives for states and cities to boost housing supply, and it rewards communities that do so while lowering building costs. The bill cuts much of the red tape around zoning and building standards and streamlines inspections across federal programs to improve efficiency. It also contains provisions to eliminate duplicate regulatory requirements. The bill would instruct the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop a loan and grant program for certain homeowners and landlords to help address home repairs and health hazards, among other provisions. 'For years, the American people have called on their elected officials to act to reduce housing costs. The Scott-Warren legislation represents what is possible when both parties put families ahead of politics. It's a significant step in the right direction,' Warren said in her remarks. 'I'm happy today, but this is only a first step. Congress must do more. I look forward to continuing to work on these issues,' she continued, urging her colleagues to pass the legislation swiftly.
Axios
30-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
There's a massive bipartisan housing bill moving forward in Congress
The Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday unanimously advanced a huge housing bill aimed at boosting the supply of homes in the U.S. Why it matters: It's a rare moment of bipartisan agreement — and a sign of how bad the real estate market has gotten in the U.S., where home prices have soared and there's an ongoing shortage of affordable homes. Where it stands: Many of the provisions in the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025 would cut red tape around zoning and building standards. Housing is possibly the one place where Democrats and Republicans agree on the need for deregulation. But the package directs a lot of action at the Department of Housing and Urban Development —at the same time the Trump White House is cutting that agency's budget and staffing levels. Zoom in: One provision would direct HUD to come up with new guidelines around zoning and land-use policies to encourage more construction. Another would stand-up a pilot program where HUD offers grants and loans to low- and moderate-income homeowners and certain landlords. The bill would also streamline environmental reviews for certain housing projects. It authorizes $1 billion over five years for an "innovation fund" — local communities would get money if they come up with new ways to build more housing. Between the lines: The package combines a lot of the big trends in housing right now. It is what the "Abundance movement is seeking," writes Matt Stoller, the director of research at the liberal American Economic Liberties Project, name-checking the book from Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson that urges liberals to think bigger. It also borrows from the policy ideas of the YIMBYs, the yes in my backyard movement which is looking to build lots of houses and hack away about building codes. "Every senator, Republican or Democrat, is facing people back home who tell them housing is a huge problem," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) tells Axios.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump signs order making it easier to remove homeless people from streets
Washington — President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order making it easier for cities and states to remove homeless people from the streets and get them treatment elsewhere. The president's order asks Attorney General Pam Bondi to "reverse judicial precedents and end consent decrees that limit state and local governments' ability to commit individuals on the streets who are a risk to themselves or others," according to a White House fact sheet. It also commits federal funding to move people on the streets who are "causing public disorder and that are suffering from serious mental illness or addiction" to "treatment centers, assisted outpatient treatment, or other facilities." "Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order," the text of the order said. "Surrendering our cities and citizens to disorder and fear is neither compassionate to the homeless nor other citizens. My Administration will take a new approach focused on protecting public safety." The executive order the president also asks Bondi to work with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Transportation to prioritize federal grants for states and cities that "enforce prohibitions on open illicit drug use, urban camping and loitering," the White House said. The order was first reported by USA Today. "President Trump is delivering on his commitment to Make America Safe Again and end homelessness across America," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. "By removing vagrant criminals from our streets and redirecting resources toward substance abuse programs, the Trump administration will ensure that Americans feel safe in their own communities and that individuals suffering from addiction or mental health struggles are able to get the help they need." In March, Mr. Trump called for Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser to "clean up all of the unsightly homeless encampments in the City, specifically including the ones outside of the State Department, and near the White House." He added that if she was "not capable of doing so, we will be forced to do it for her!" He signed an executive order directing the National Park Service to clear all homeless encampments on federal lands. He also signed a separate executive order in March aiming to dismantle the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. The president pledged to remove homeless individuals from the nation's streets during his campaign. "When I am back in the White House, we will use every tool, lever, and authority to get the homeless off our streets," Mr. Trump said in a spring 2023 campaign video. The National Homelessness Law Center said the order "does nothing to lower the cost of housing or help people make ends meet." "Forced treatment is unethical, ineffective, and illegal. People need stable housing and access to healthcare. Rather, Trump's actions will force more people into homelessness, divert taxpayer money away from people in need, and make it harder for local communities to solve homelessness," said spokesperson Jesse Rabinowitz. Bryan Kohberger sentenced to life in prison for murders of Idaho students Idaho murders victims' families speak out at Bryan Kohberger's sentencing hearing Johnson says Jeffrey Epstein files controversy is not a hoax
