Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
Gregg Carter
Second Faculty Advisor
Allison Butler
Keywords
cost-burdened housing; homelessness; affordable housing; crisis
Publisher
Bryant University
Rights Management
CC-BY
Abstract
The affordable housing crisis has plagued the United States for decades. This thesis analyzes the predictors of cost-burdened housing at the metropolitan level of analysis, as well as how a lack of affordable housing and cost-burdened housing impacts the socioeconomic status and well-being of households in those areas. The study uses a variety of statistical analyses, including regression analysis. This topic is important because cost-burdened households tend to spend significantly less on food, healthcare, transportation, and retirement savings because their income is ultimately consumed by the cost of housing. Inadequate housing has also been found to be the strongest predictor of emotional behavioral problems in children from low-income households. Key findings include that percentage Hispanic is the key predictor of percentage of cost-burdened households, and the percentage of cost-burdened households is the key predictor of the homelessness rate in a metropolitan area. Suggestions for further research include the importance of analyzing cost-burdened housing at a more focused level than the metropolitan unit of analysis, and the collection of additional, more in depth data regarding the social problems and outcomes of cost-burdened housing.
