Safe, decent and affordable housing is essential for a family to be successful. The stress of unstable housing impacts a person’s ability to be productive at work, a child’s ability to excel in school and a family’s emotional well-being. In recent years, wages in Pierce County have not kept pace with Fair Market Rent, which has increased significantly over the past nine years. The result is a greater number of Pierce County households paying a disproportionate amount of their income on housing costs.

For a person earning minimum wage, the cost of a studio apartment would cause considerable hardship. Additionally, there is a scarcity of housing units affordable to low-income families and limited availability of subsidized housing, such as Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. Public Assistance Housing cannot possibly meet the demand of low-income families in need.