Over the weekend, Cary Town Council Member Lori Bush penned a thorough and incredible informative explanation about the need for affordable housing in Wake County. It's called, "A Home for Everyone" -- we love that concept.
Did you know that a household needs to earn at least $18.21 per hour to afford the average 2-bedroom apartment in Wake County? A minimum wage earner would have to work more than two full-time jobs in order to meet that expense. Considering this, it's not surprising that 100,000 people in Wake County are cost burdened, or paying more than 30% of their income toward housing costs.
According to a Wake County Public School System representative, there are somewhere between 2,900 and 5,000 children enrolled who are experiencing homelessness this year.
So what's the good news? Together, our community can turn these numbers around. In her post, Lori talks about the progress that's been made -- particularly in Cary, since that is her jurisdiction. Habitat Wake has built several homes in Cary over the years, and DHIC recently developed 53 affordable rental units for seniors. It's a great start, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Check out Lori's full post here.