Cities Where You Can Afford to Work and Live®

In Response to the National Affordable Housing Crisis:

In response to the nation’s severe shortage of affordable rental housing, the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) has launched an initiative to identify and highlight Cities Where You Can Afford to Work and Live®.

Across the country, teachers, firefighters, police, restaurant staff, retail workers and retirees among others – all core members of a healthy, vibrant community – can’t afford to live in the cities they have served. For many, more than half of their income goes to pay the rent, leaving little left over for food, utilities, transportation, health care, day care and other vital needs. This growing financial burden for basic rental housing for millions of Americans challenges the social and economic well-being of cities large and small. NAHMA’s goal is to identify and highlight innovative programs by cities that successfully increase the net number of affordable rental housing units in their communities.

NAHMA is pleased to work with Dr. Dustin C. Read, Assistant Professor of Property Management and Real Estate at Virginia Tech, to publish the following overview report on five cities that are finding success in implementing policies to address the shortage of affordable housing in their locales