Housing Affordability
In the United States, there are only 35 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households.
It is impossible to look at this statistic and deny the fact that we have an affordable housing crisis in our country. But a shortage of livable units is only one part of the problem. Many people struggling with housing insecurity don’t lack a place to live. Instead, they lack the ability to make payments.
Ancillary costs associated with housing, like transportation, utilities, financing costs, and food insecurity, are often the tipping point that pushes someone out of their home. And systems meant to help low-income families can instead create additional hurdles to affordability.
It’s expensive to be poor in America.
That’s why the Reconstruct Challenge launched in 2019; to support Access Ventures in addressing housing insecurity and ancillary costs that trap people in the cycle of poverty.
A Better Way Forward
Distributed
$2.25M
Families connected to SNAP benefits
18,400
Return on Impact
22x
Mortgages supported by Working Your Way Home
10
Affordable Housing Units Built
114
Of SNAP benefits unlocked
$51M+
Supported by
August 28, 2019
Twelve finalists participated in a live pitch event in Louisville where six winners received $300,000 to implement their solutions.
