The National Association of Realtors (NAR) continues to call for more affordable housing while expanding their partnership with the Food Recovery Network to combat hunger. Although these seem like two separate issues, the Housing Affordability and Food Sufficiency report from NARs proves otherwise. Two-fifths of homeowners (38%) and two-thirds of renters (66%) reported having difficulty paying for usual household expenses, including food.
“Housing affordability and food sufficiency are inseparable to families’ balance sheets,” said Jessica Lautz, NAR vice president of demographics and behavioral insights. “The pandemic has only highlighted many families’ struggle to secure stable housing and food security. This report shows how critical it is for NAR to continue its work to increase the access to stable and affordable housing in America.”
Households that are burdened by housing costs are more likely to need food assistance, according to the NAR report. Between June 23 and July 5, 2021, 38% of homeowners and 66% of renters reported that they had difficulty paying for food, rent or mortgage, auto and student loans, medical expenses and utilities.
South Carolina, Louisiana, and Georgia have the largest share of households behind on rent and mortgage payments while living without enough food. In states where households are most likely to receive grocery food donations, they are also struggling with housing affordability, such as New York, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina and New Jersey.
The percentage of gross monthly income spent on housing costs is usually a good indicator of housing affordability. Housing costs include mortgage or rent payments, utilities, insurance, and property taxes. Households that spend more than 50% of their monthly income on housing are considered severely burdened by costs. In 2019, one in four households that spent more than 50% of monthly income on housing, including renters, received food stamps from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Since 2019, NAR has partnered with the Food Recovery Network (FRN) to combat hunger and food insecurity across the nation. A number of NAR events are Food Recovery Verified, meaning the group recovers surplus food from various events and donates it to hunger-fighting nonprofits. Since June, NAR has donated 500 pounds of surplus food from three national events.
During the NAR Leadership Summit, NAR's CEO Bob Goldberg and FRN’s executive director Regina Anderson discussed the benefits and goals of their collaboration on August 23, 2021.
Goldberg said, “As the financial impacts of the pandemic are still being felt by far too many families across the country, I’m grateful to be continuing our partnership with the Food Recovery Network to fight the unacceptably high levels of food insecurity in America. Last month alone, more than eight million households reported not having enough food to eat. The need is great, but so are the philanthropic spirit and actions of Realtors.”
“Powerful partnerships like the one FRN and NAR have fostered ensures people have access to the food they deserve,” added Anderson. “It’s important that people can see themselves as part of a simple solution to changing the current process of tossing perfectly good food to one of recovering good food and ensuring it can go to those experiencing hardship.”
Click here to read the full Housing Affordability and Food Sufficiency report from NARs.
