The Other Housing Crisis: Ending the Deterioration and Loss of Affordable Homes

Why fixing America's housing crisis requires repairing older homes and not just building new onesThe United States is in the throes a housing crisis, framed by the media as a crisis of affordability.People pay too much for housing. And the solution, it seems, is to increase the supply of housing to drive down the cost.The national conversation on housing affordability, however, ignores the issue of housing quality.Most people find affordable housing not through public subsidies but by purchasing or renting older housing in the private market.For older housing to be affordable, it is almost always in disrepair and/or is located in a disinvested neighborhood with low market values.Little noticed by the media, millions of American homeowners and renters live in unsafe and unhealthy housing. The Other Housing Crisis brings attention to the neglected issue of housing deterioration and makes the case for more investment in home repairs.Contributions by expert researchers and experienced prac