In the Media

About 44 million American households rent their homes, and many were struggling long before the new coronavirus emerged. In 2018, close to half of renters spent more than a third of their income on rent, while a quarter spent more than half, according to a report released in January by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

“As fieldworkers, sometimes we can delude ourselves into thinking that we are truly members of the community,” Joint Center for Housing Studies postdoctoral researcher Sharon Cornelissen said. “This crisis really puts into focus that ultimately we are researchers” who represent universities. “That comes with different responsibilities.”

When remodeling a home for aging in place, the most common automation products and systems installed are for safety, security, and temperature control, according to a recent survey by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

According to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, 75 percent of the 12 million affordable rental units in America’s major cities remain unsubsidized. But left unprotected, Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) doesn’t tend to stay affordable, leaving occupants priced out. When their units finally see improvement, tenants often have no choice but to leave.

At least on the issue of a housing shortage, YIMBYs are right. Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies estimates that current levels of population growth would support the construction of 300,000 more units than are currently built each year.

A flurry of federal, state and local action aims to prevent a new housing crisis as the coronavirus pandemic upends the economy.

According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies, 3 of 4 families that qualify for a housing subsidy don't get one.

“While many households now of retirement age have the means to age in place or move to other suitable housing, a record number are cost burdened and will have few affordable housing options as they age,” according to the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, a shortage some think could be addressed by innovations like 3D-printed homes.

A report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies found that by 2035, 1 out of 3 US households will be headed by someone over the age of 65. This population of nearly 79 million people who will require a variety of different housing options.

Many experts believe it’s important at least some of these institutions are reborn as affordable housing. “Rental markets in the U.S. remain extremely tight,” noted the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University in its America’s Rental Housing 2020 report.