08/14/2024
RENTERS STRUGGLE WITH COMPETING COSTS OF FOOD, ENERGY, AND HOUSING
Thursday, August 8, 2024 | Sophia Wedeen
Lower-income renters continued to face extraordinary financial hardships in the first half of 2024, as the competing costs of food, energy, and housing made it nearly impossible for some households to cover basic needs. Between January and June of this year, one in four renter households with incomes below $25,000 reported they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat, and 26 percent regularly kept their homes at temperatures they felt were unsafe or unhealthy. In addition to making these trade-offs, 16 percent of lower-income renters were behind on their rent payments, and 7 percent felt pressure to move because they couldn’t keep up with housing costs.
Lower-income renters continued to face extraordinary financial hardships in the first half of 2024, as the competing costs of food, energy, and housin