Affordable housing is having a moment. There has been a sharp increase in the amount of public conversation about affordable housing. In the United States we generally define housing as affordable that is safe and secure and up to code standards and where the housing and utility costs are no more than 30% a household’s gross income. Of course, the lower your household income, the less chance you have of finding an apartment or home in good condition that is “affordable.”

As a high-poverty city, Philadelphia is sorely lacking in affordable housing. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, more than 50% of Philadelphia renters are living in housing that is not affordable. The PEW Charitable Trust has also found that those with the lowest incomes have the highest rates of rent burden. For Philadelphia households with incomes of $30,000 or less, close to 70% of households are spending over 50% on housing.