Housing is considered affordable when it takes up no more than 30 percent of your income. Yet, more than half of Delaware renters and about 20 percent of homeowners are spending more than that.
Based on a summary of the Delaware Housing Needs Assessment published by the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) this week, it's revealed that some renters are even allocating over 50 percent of their income toward rent.
Chief Strategy Advisor with the Delaware State Housing Authority, Caitlyn Del Collo, said those numbers indicate many people are in a vulnerable position.
"Those families and households are more likely to experience displacement and foreclosure," she said.
The report also highlights increasing homelessness, according to the Executive Director of the non-profit the Delaware Housing Alliance, Rachel Stucker.
"Eight percent of people in Delaware are precariously housed or homeless," Stucker pointed out. "That's almost one in ten."
To combat the crisis, the report suggests the state will need to add 24,400 new units or an average of 2,400 units per year to keep up with household growth through 2030.
Stucker said currently, "what [Delaware] is able to build with the resources it has on an annual basis is about two hundred or less units per year."
DSHA said the complete housing needs assessment results will be released this November. Del Collo tells us the full report will highlight more specific needs in each Delaware county. New Castle and Kent will be further categorized into North and South, while Sussex County will be divided into East and West.
The Delaware Housing Authority and the Housing Alliance have shared that they are working with state leaders to adopt improved land use regulations. This way, developers will find it easier to construct housing in areas where it's needed the most.