COLUMBUS, Ohio — Buying and renting a house is expensive for many people, especially for those who make below-average income.
"The affordability wage to afford an average apartment around here is close to or broken 20 dollars an hour," said Bob Bitzenhofer, vice president of planning and development for the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority.
Three new mixed-income apartments are coming to Columbus and Reynoldsburg to help address this issue.
The two locations in Columbus will be at Touchstone Field Place and Preston Pointe at Shannon Glen Apartments. The apartments in Reynoldsburg will be across from city hall.
The Columbus housing is based on vouchers which will help those who qualify put the money towards rent.
"The folks in our voucher program are making below 50% of area median income and most making far below that," said Bitzenhofer.
Bitzenhofer says this is around $27,000 a year for a family.
The Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio says 54,000 families spend half of their income on housing.
"Even though I am a homeowner, I still know a lot of people who are still trying to make ends meet," said Columbus resident David Francis.
"Affordable housing is a region-wide issue. There are people in every community of town who are rent burdened and paying more than 30% of their income toward rent who are having to make tough decisions every month," said Bitzenhofer.
Bitzenhofer added that affordable housing can help working families struggling to make ends meet.
"Somebody who is working 40 hours a week, working an entry-level job, if they got to go find another place they might be paying 50% of their income towards rent, this will make sure it's capped at 30%," he said.
The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority wants to provide housing near essential places, like schools and daycares.
"It's a step in the right direction, we just want to make sure we are keeping people sustainable," said Francis.
The two Columbus housing units are expected to be up and running in the next month or so, and a construction crew is expected to break ground on the Reynoldsburg property next year.