Delware is in the “red zone” when it comes to housing for those with extremely low incomes.
That was the finding in the annual Gap report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
The state was alone among its neighbors in being in the lowest “red” category, despite having a lower cost of living than some areas in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
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Nationwide, the report found fewer than four rental homes are affordable and available for every 10 extremely low-income renter households nationwide. No state or major metropolitan area has an adequate supply of rental housing for the poorest renters.
Delaware is worse off with 27,524 extremely low rental households and only 28 affordable and available rental homes per 100 extremely low income renter households.
States in the red zone were typically faster-growing Sun Belt states with strong demand for housing that can drive up prices and rents.
Nationwide, 70 percent of extremely low-income renter households spend more than half of their limited incomes on housing. Delaware was slightly above the national average in the cost burden of housing.
Delaware, like other states, has seen demand for apartments grow faster than the supply, with landlords rehabbing older properties and raising rents.
The Delaware State Housing Authority recently rebooted its program that aids both tenants who have fallen behind on their rent and landlords.
