For Immediate Release: March 13, 2025
Contact: Kristin Ginger, Director of Communications & Development, Housing Action Illinois, kristin@housingactionil.org or 312-854-3333
CHICAGO, IL – A new report by Housing Action Illinois and the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, finds that there are only 34 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households in Illinois.
The report finds that 442,902 extremely low-income renter households live in Illinois, but only 149,135 affordable rental homes are available to them–leaving a staggering shortage of 293,767 affordable rental homes. To meet this need, we would need two more affordable, available rental homes for every one that is currently available.
The picture is even worse in the Chicago metro area, where only 28 affordable and available homes exist per every 100 extremely low-income renters. Nationwide, the gap stands at 7.1 million homes.
“The budget legislation for the rest of the fiscal year that recently passed the House does not provide enough funding to support all the existing Housing Choice Vouchers and is bad overall for federal programs that end homelessness and create affordable housing,” said Bob Palmer, Policy Director of Housing Action Illinois. “Seventy-five percent (75%) of Illinois’ lowest-income renters spend more than half their income on housing, with little left over for necessities like food and healthcare. We need more investments in housing, not cuts, to prevent additional families from facing homelessness.”
Even for those with a slightly larger household budget, there are not nearly enough options available; in Illinois, there are only 64 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 households in Illinois at 50% or below the Area Median Income (AMI).
The private market alone cannot provide an adequate supply of housing affordable, especially for the lowest-income renters. Investments are needed to produce new affordable housing, preserve existing affordable housing, and subsidize the difference between what the lowest-income renters can afford to pay and market rents.
Gutting HUD’s vital programs will only worsen the systemic shortage of affordable housing, leaving more Illinois families without a safe, stable place to call home.
Released annually, The Gap investigates the affordability and availability of rental homes for households of different income levels nationwide and in every state and major metropolitan area. For the full report, visit: https://nlihc.org/gap
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About Housing Action Illinois
Housing Action is a statewide coalition that has been leading the movement to end homelessness, address the shortage of affordable rental housing, and expand homeownership opportunities in Illinois for more than 35 years. Our 190+ member organizations include housing counseling agencies, homeless service providers, developers of affordable housing, and policymakers. We bring everyone together to work toward our vision of an Illinois where everyone has a stable, good home.