Report: Arizona ranks third worst in nation for affordable housing

The U.S. has a shortage of seven million rental homes affordable and available to extremely low-income renters, according to a new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

In five western states, including Arizona, that shortage is even worse.

Arizona ranked third worst in the nation in having an adequate supply of affordable rentals, according to the report.

Nationwide, only 37 affordable and available rental homes exist for every 100 extremely low-income renter households. Low-income families are at or below the poverty guideline or 30 percent of their area median income, according to the coalition.

In Arizona, there are 204,134 extremely low-income renter households. There are 25 available rental homes per 100 extremely low-income renters, according to the data.

Generally speaking, seventy-one percent of extremely low-income renters are troubled by housing costs. They spend more than half of their limited incomes on rent. For Arizona, that number jumps up 78 percent.