Cumberland County survey shows just how tough it is to find affordable housing
Prospective tenants can’t get a call back from landlords, residents are being forced to move, and the housing market in Cumberland County is “unsustainable,” according to research being unveiled Tuesday before a Portland City Council committee.
Among other findings, a consultant will deliver results of a county-wide survey that shows two-thirds of renters who contacted landlords within the past five years never received a response.
Another one-third of housing seekers were told a rental property was available, only to discover it wasn’t when they showed up to see it, according to the survey of 828 residents.
The survey and a series of focus groups were conducted last year by Root Policy, a Denver firm hired by the city and the county to inform their development of affordable housing policy. The firm will present its results to the Housing & Economic Development Committee at 5:30 p.m.
While 41% of the respondents were residents of Portland, the survey obtained responses from a demographic cross-section of the Cumberland County, including every jurisdiction except Long Island. Homeowners made up 53% of the respondents, renters comprised 38%, and residents who were “precariously housed” represented 8%.
Underscoring the challenge of finding an affordable home in Maine’s most populous county, the survey also found:
- 28% of survey respondents reported having been denied housing in the past five years
- Of those denied housing, 34% reported that someone else was willing to pay more for rent
- 19% of respondents reported moving when they did not want to in the past five years, and of those who moved, one-third said they did so because of a rent increase
- 90% of respondents with a “Section 8” or other public housing voucher reported it was still difficult to find an affordable unit
- 16% of respondents said they had been discriminated against or knew of someone who had been discriminated against when looking for housing in Cumberland County.
In the focus groups, county residents described the housing market as “insane,” “unsustainable” and “crazy.”
Root Policy said barriers to developing more affordable housing included “NIMBY-ism” and tight local control, as well as land use regulations.
For more information and the complete survey results, click here.
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments