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Affordable Housing For Young Adults



DHCD envisions a city of thriving neighborhoods with housing opportunities for people of all income levels in a wide variety of communities. To support this vision, the Office of Project Finance provides funding for the production of rental and for-sale housing opportunities in order to create decent, safe, and affordable housing for the citizens of Baltimore City.




affordable housing for young adults




The HOME Program provides rental and homeownership opportunities to low and very-low-income persons and families (as those terms are defined in the HOME Program regulations at 24 CFR Part 92) by increasing the stock of decent, safe, and sanitary affordable housing.


The mission of Seventh Landing is to provide singles safe, recovery-focused, affordable housing in combination with support services that will facilitate the transition to adult independent living, an increase in skills and income, an increase in health and wellness, and overall housing stabilization.


The mission of Lindquist is to provide singles safe and affordable housing in combination with support services that will facilitate the transition to responsible independent living, an increase in skills and income, an increase in health and wellness, and overall housing stabilization.


Youth aged 20-21 who lack safe and affordable housing are eligible for this program. Youth Rental Assistance continues to provide services for youth after their exit from the formal child welfare system up to the age of 23.The Youth Rental Assistance and Support program complements existing DHS housing resources including rapid rehousing programs and housing support for parenting young adults. DHS also works with Office of Supportive Housing and Philadelphia Housing Authority to assist youth aging out of DHS care in finding permanent housing.


Across New York, nearly 40 Network members provide housing and services to more than 600 homeless and at-risk young adults. The vast majority of these organizations cobble together services funding through various sources -- most notably the NYS Supportive Housing Program (NYSSHP). In 2005, however, the City and State committed to funding 200 units of supportive housing for youth aging out of foster care (NY/NY III population I) and 200 units for youth leaving psychiatric institutional care (NY/NY III population C). These programs are profiled below.


Opened in 2011, Vicinitas is a 68-unit supportive housing residence in the Bronx exclusively for young adults, more than half of whom have aged out of foster care. Vicinitas builds on the Lantern Organization's commitment to helping young adults successfully transition to adulthood; Lantern has also provided housing and services to this population at its Schafer Hall residence in Harlem and Jasper Hall in the Bronx. Onsite services stress independent living skills, education, training and career development.


The Lee is a beautiful 12-story building on the Lower East Side developed by Breaking Ground with 263 apartments for a mix of homeless adults with special needs (HIV/AIDS, chronic mental illness), low-income workers, many of whom are from the community, and 55 at-risk young adults many of whom aged out of the foster care system. The Door, with 40 years of experience in helping disconnected youth, provides on-site educational, vocational and social services to the young adult tenants.


However, young people who move to large cities for education and employment, and who form single-person households are not considered in these discussions. Subpar housing, once used to house people moving to cities during rapid industrialization, has now become the dominant type of residence for young people coming to Seoul with low economic and social resources [19]. The 2015 Korean Population and Housing Census reported that the housing poverty rate of young households is 17.6%, compared with 11.6% among all households nationwide. The capital city of Seoul, with a large influx of young people and the highest housing costs in Korea, had a 29.6% housing poverty rate in 2015 for young people overall, while the rate for young single-person households reached 37.2%, which is more than three times higher than that of general household [7].


Research on housing and health problems of young people, especially young single-person households, has been scant internationally. However, recent studies in Korea have found that single-person households are more susceptible than multi-person households to unhealthy eating practices, mental health problems, and social health issues [20,21]. These studies, however, have rarely considered housing characteristics specific to young, single-person households.


The lack of research on the health of young people in housing poverty may be related to the traditional perspective that young people are a relatively healthy population [22]. It may also be presumed that their housing problems would be solved when they become employed [23]. However, the health of young people is deteriorating [24], and housing affordability is challenging even for the employed [23].


With this lack of research on housing poverty and health despite an increased prevalence of housing poverty among urban young adults [25], a qualitative, exploratory approach is valuable to illustrate and detail the experiences of young people in housing poverty and their health issues based on their concepts of health.


The respondents desired to move out of their current residences and transition to Jeonse-type housing with better quality and no monthly rent burden. Jeonses, however, require a large, one-time payment upfront, so affordability is even more challenging. Persistent unemployment worsens the situation where young people have difficulties in finding jobs, even for part-time. The majority of respondents believed that even with employment, it would be difficult to save enough money to move to a Jeonse while paying a monthly rent with low wages. They also mentioned that getting loans might not be feasible since many jobs were currently insecure. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic had canceled many jobs and reduced work opportunities for young people.


When both students and the employed experience unaffordability of adequate housing, families have been regarded as the main source of support. However, 13 of the 20 participants (65%) could not receive support from their families who were also financially challenged. These young people sought support from friends and others in their personal network. However, some with limited networks did not have someone to turn to, and some were already in debt to their friends.


Unsanitary living conditions caused by housing poverty posed a threat of disease to young people. Forty percent of the participants experienced health problems caused by mold in humid and difficult-to-ventilate environments. They reported negative respiratory effects such as sore throats and stuffy noses. Some suffered from frequent infestation of pests such as cockroaches in dark and humid rooms or from neglected garbage outside of the building.


Among all things, the young people regarded moving to a better place as the fundamental solution for their health problems. However, most of the participants, including those employed with income, found it difficult to save enough money to move to a better place. They thought it was important to make good use of public housing opportunities; however, many were not eligible because the policy was tailored to married and child-bearing households.


Meanwhile, for young people expected to carry out life tasks, moving to big cities is not an option but an essential process, as cities have more opportunities for high-quality education and employment [35]. However, those who move immediately face a housing problem involving high costs [36]. The options for living space for people with few or no assets were relatively inexpensive but of poor quality [19].


Especially, housing poverty negatively impacts the mental stability of young people. These findings were consistent with prior research that states narrow residential spaces with no minimum area guaranteed would increase depression [43], an unprotected residential environment, such as intrusion from the outside and noise, would cause pain and anxiety [14], and that the instability of settlements experienced as tenants and sudden increase in housing costs would increase anxiety [13,23].


In addition, we found that the built and natural environments and public services are also important for the health of young people in cities. Our participants looked for ways to overcome their housing limitations through community-based options to improve their health. However, the quantity, quality, and accessibility of public resources such as public services, green areas, and parks were scarce in the regions where many of them lived. Public resources differ across regions, and communities with high-quality housing tend to have more resources [10,49]. Thus, public planners must check the quantity, usage, and quality of public resources in areas where many young people live when developing and implementing improvements.


Bridges by Abbott House provides opportunities for our aging youth to live a more independent lifestyle through the Larson Independent Living Program. Represented by 16 independent living apartments across Mitchell and Rapid City, Abbott House is proud to offer the opportunity for our young adults to enjoy an independent living experience, supported by the therapeutic services provided by Bridges. Resources like the Larson Independent Living Program are critical to those preparing to exit our care who may not have a support system beyond the walls of our foster homes or residential treatment facility. Here, these individuals can use our services as a launch pad, gearing them to leap into their adulthood.


Tailored to help young adults fine-tune their living skills while accommodating affordable housing and a structured, independent lifestyle, this program has proven to be an incredible resource for young adults in our care who are beginning to transition to a lifestyle beyond Abbott House. Youth in this program sign a lease, find and maintain a job, often attend college or a technical school and care for themselves. From building skills pertaining to cooking, doing laundry, and maintaining a financially-sound life style, this program aims to provide formative experiences for youth as they prepare to enter their adult life. 2ff7e9595c


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