Housing cost, minimum wage gap increase
For students who have had trouble affording living expenses in Utah, a new study has shown making ends meet is a challenge.
The Washington D.C.-based National Low Income Housing Coalition, a non-profit organization dealing with housing issues at the federal level, released figures early in October which underscore the growing gap between housing costs and minimum wage.
The Coalition found that families in Utah must earn $26,424 per year to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
Utah Issues, a non-profit poverty advocacy organization which educates legislators and the public about poverty, found the number is 247 percent of the minimum wage in Utah.
Heather Tritten, housing analyst with Utah Issues for the past two and one-half years, said the increase between last year and this year was surprising.
“What I was most surprised about is that the housing wage [the income needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment] went up a dollar,” Tritten said.
Tritten said, in 1999, the housing wage was $11.49 per hour. In 2000, the number increased by 20 cents to $11.69 per hour. This year, the housing wage is $12.70 per hour, she said.
“[Minimum] wages aren’t keeping up with that,” Tritten said.
There has been no increase in the federal minimum wage since 1997, Tritten said.
Tritten said the federal government has a five-year limit on welfare. In Utah, the limit is three years, she said.
“We’ve been working on getting extensions for domestic violence victims,” she said. “There should be extensions for people going to school or people with children.”
The Olene Walker Housing Trust Fund is a state-run fund which has existed since 1986, Tritten said.
The legislature puts money in it and votes on how much money can be used to build affordable housing, developing reservations or for first-time home buyers.
According to the report, 39 percent of renters in Utah are paying more than 30 percent of their incomes for rent.
A person’s first priority is housing, and since day care can cost a few hundred dollars per month, there isn’t always enough money for child care, Tritten said. Therefore, people are sometimes forced to make bad choices, like bringing children with them to class, she said.
Other findings from the report include the following:
•Nationwide, the housing wage is more than double the federal minimum wage.
•In Utah, minimum wage workers must work 99 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
•In the Salt Lake-Ogden metro area, minimum-wage workers m
ust work more than 108 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment. Joseph M. Dougherty
Senior Writer
Housing costs, minimum wage gap increase
For students who have had trouble affording living expenses in Utah, a new study has shown making ends meet is a challenge.
The Washington D.C.-based National Low Income Housing Coalition, a non-profit organization dealing with housing issues at the federal level, released figures early in October which underscore the growing gap between housing costs and minimum wage.
The Coalition found that families in Utah must earn $26,424 per year to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
Utah Issues, a non-profit poverty advocacy organization which educates legislators and the public about poverty, found the number is 247 percent of the minimum wage in Utah.
Heather Tritten, housing analyst with Utah Issues for the past two and one-half years, said the increase between last year and this year was surprising.
“What I was most surprised about is that the housing wage [the income needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment] went up a dollar,” Tritten said.
Tritten said, in 1999, the housing wage was $11.49 per hour. In 2000, the number increased by 20 cents to $11.69 per hour. This year, the housing wage is $12.70 per hour, she said.
“[Minimum] wages aren’t keeping up with that,” Tritten said.
There has been no increase in the federal minimum wage since 1997, Tritten said.
Tritten said the federal government has a five-year limit on welfare. In Utah, the limit is three years, she said.
“We’ve been working on getting extensions for domestic violence victims,” she said. “There should be extensions for people going to school or people with children.”
The Olene Walker Housing Trust Fund is a state-run fund which has existed since 1986, Tritten said. The legislature puts money in it and votes on how much money can be used to build affordable housing, developing reservations or for first-time home buyers.
According to the report, 39 percent of renters in Utah are paying more than 30 percent of their incomes for rent.
A person’s first priority is housing and since day care can cost a few hundred dollars per month, there isn’t always enough money for child care, Tritten said. Therefore, people are sometimes forced to make bad choices, like bringing children with them to class, she said.
Other findings from the report include the following:
The number of renters nationally is at an all-time high.
Nationwide, the housing wage is more than double the federal minimum wage.
In New Jersey, New York and Hawaii, the housing wage is greater than three times the prevailing minimum wage.
In Utah, minimum wage workers must work 99 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
In the Salt Lake-Ogden metro area, minimum-wage workers must work more than 108 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment.