Test your knowledge on housing affordability
Q: What percent of low-income Douglas County residents are living in substandard housing?
A: 76%
Source: http://www.thelandscapeomaha.org/Neighborhoods/Quality-of-Housing
Q: What percent of renters in Omaha report spending more than 30% of their income on housing? (The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines cost-burdened families as those who spend more than 30% of their income on housing including utilities.)
A: 43%
Source: http://www.thelandscapeomaha.org/Neighborhoods/Affordability-of-Housing
Q: True or False – Overcrowding is defined by HUD as more than one person per bedroom in a household.
A: False: HUD defines overcrowding as more than one person living in a singular room. This means that if the number of people exceeds the number of total rooms (not just bedrooms), then the home is considered to be overcrowded.
Source: http://www.thelandscapeomaha.org/Neighborhoods/Quality-of-Housing
Q: True or False – In Nebraska, 1 in 10 households spend more than half of their income on housing? (HUD defines severely cost-burdened families as those who spend more than 50% of their income on housing including utilities.)
A: True
Source: https://www.habitat.org/sites/default/files/documents/Nebraska-State-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Q: Nebraska is facing a shortage of affordable rental units for extremely low-income renters. How many additional units are needed? (Extremely low-income households are defined as those with incomes at or below the poverty guideline or 30% of their area median income.)
A: 35,362
Source: https://nlihc.org/housing-needs-by-state/nebraska
Q: True or False – In 2018, housing prices rose twice as fast as inflation in the United States.
A: True
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-property-poll/u-s-house-prices-to-rise-at-twice-the-speed-of-inflation-and-pay-reuters-poll-idUSKCN1J20G3
Q: According to a 2017 analysis, in the United States how many households are cost-burdened, meaning they spend 30% or more on housing costs including utilities?
A: 37.8 million
Source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/more-than-a-third-of-american-households-were-cost-burdened-last-year/
Q: True or False – In our community, 1 in 5 homeowners pay more than 30% of their income on housing. (HUD defines cost-burdened families as those who spend more than 30% of their income on housing including utilities.)
A: True
Source: http://www.thelandscapeomaha.org/Neighborhoods/Affordability-of-Housing
Q: True or False – Omaha has a lower rate of Black homeownership than the national average.
A: True. Nationally, 42% of Black people own their home. In the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area, 35% of Black people own their home.
Source: http://www.thelandscapeomaha.org/Neighborhoods/Home-Ownership
Q: Since 2011, the stock of low-cost rentals in the United States has shrunk by how many units?
A: 4 million – This decrease includes a loss of 1 million units in 2017 alone. Furthermore, nearly half the remaining low-cost rental homes are more than 50 years old.
Source: https://www.habitat.org/costofhome/2019-state-nations-housing-report-lack-affordable-housing
Q: On average, cost-burdened households with children spend how much less on food compared to similar households living in affordable homes?
A: 35% less
Source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Harvard_JCHS_State_of_the_Nations_Housing_2019.pdf (pg. 33)
Q: On average, severely cost-burdened households with children spend how much less on healthcare compared to similar households living in affordable homes?
A: 74% less
Source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Harvard_JCHS_State_of_the_Nations_Housing_2019.pdf (pg. 33)
Q: True or False – Cost-burdened households with children are less likely to save for retirement.
A: True
Source: https://www.habitat.org/costofhome/2019-state-nations-housing-report-lack-affordable-housing
Q: True or False – In our community, Black people own their homes at half the rate of White people.
A: True. In the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area, 35% of Black people own their own home, compared to 69% of White people.
Source: http://www.thelandscapeomaha.org/Neighborhoods/Home-Ownership
Q: Substandard housing can affect a household’s _____________.
A: Health, stability, education and more.
Source: http://www.thelandscapeomaha.org/Neighborhoods/Quality-of-Housing
Q: True or False – Omaha has a history of redlining—the practice of banks, companies and the federal government, refusing or limiting loans based on race/ethnicity in certain geographic areas—and discriminatory language within housing deeds.
A: True. While redlining and discriminatory language are now illegal, the impacts of those practices can still be felt within our community. In fact, Omaha has a lower rate of Black homeownership than the national average.
Source: http://www.thelandscapeomaha.org/Neighborhoods/Home-Ownership
Q: True or False – During its last session, the Nebraska legislature passed a law that will support the revitalization of extremely blighted areas in part by encouraging homeownership opportunities in those areas.
A: True. The Nebraska legislature passed LB 86 that will in part support the revitalization of extremely blighted areas by encouraging homeownership opportunities within them.
Source: https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=37408
Q: True or False – During its last session, the Nebraska legislature failed to pass a law that would establish protections for rental property tenants related to return of security deposit balances and damage payments.
A: False. The Nebraska legislature passed LB 433 that will establish these protections.
Source: https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=37012
Q: What did the Omaha City Council do in April 2019 to help address substandard housing in our city?
A: The Omaha City Council approved both a rental inspection and rental registration ordinance.
Source: https://www.omaha.com/money/omaha-gets-landlord-registry-regular-inspections-after-stothert-puts-away/article_b8821a21-23b7-5c19-80d9-27de84c51ce8.html
Q: Housing affordability is a women’s issue. In our community, what percent of households headed by black women pay more than 30% of their income on housing?
A: 69%. In addition, 58% of households headed by Latinas and 50% of households headed by White women are considered cost-burdened spending more than 30% of their income on housing including utilities.
Source: http://www.thelandscapeomaha.org/Neighborhoods/Affordability-of-Housing
Q: What is the hourly wage needed to afford a one-bedroom apartment (including utilities) at the Fair Market Rate in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area?
A: $14.16/hour – Nebraska’s minimum wage is $9.00/hour. Iowa’s minimum wage is $8.75/hour. Fair Market Rent of a one-bedroom apartment in the area is $744/month including utilities.
Source: http://www.thelandscapeomaha.org/Neighborhoods/Affordability-of-Housing Nebraska’s minimum wage is $9.00/hour. Iowa’s minimum wage is $8.75/hour. Fair Market Rent of a one-bedroom apartment in the area is $744/month including utilities.
Q: What is the hourly wage needed to afford a two-bedroom apartment (including utilities) at the Fair Market Rate in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area?
A: $17.65/hour. Fair Market Rent of a two-bedroom apartment in the area is $927/month including utilities.
Source: http://www.thelandscapeomaha.org/Neighborhoods/Affordability-of-Housing
Q: True or False – Habitat for Humanity of Omaha has a no-interest loan program to help with home repairs.
A: True. Through our Home Improvement Programs, including the Home Repair Loan Program, Habitat Omaha provides a variety of options to help low to moderate income homeowners in Douglas and surrounding counties make home repairs affordable.
Source: https://habitatomaha.org/programs/home-repair/
Q: True or False – Habitat for Humanity of Omaha is currently unable to assist homeowners who have an urgent need to replace their air conditioning units or furnaces.
A: False. Through Habitat Omaha’s Home Improvement Program, homeowners in urgent need of repairs focused on health and safety concerns may qualify for an expedited Emergency Home Repair Loan.
Source: https://habitatomaha.org/programs/home-repair/
Q: Since 1984, how many community members has Habitat for Humanity of Omaha served through homeownership, home repairs and neighborhood revitalization efforts?
A: 1,600
Source: https://habitatomaha.org/about-us/