Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, December 19, 1993                   TAG: 9312210245
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: D3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SHEILA CROWLEY
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

VIRGINIA'S POOR CAN'T FIND DECENT HOUSING

"Poor Families and Poor Housing: The Search For Decent Housing in Virginia's Private, Unassisted Market" documents one of the most difficult problems facing Virginia families who receive AFDC. According to the report, only one of every five families eligible for public-housing assistance actually receives it, due to a lack of funds.

Forced to compete in the private market, most AFDC families must live in substandard housing in the least safe neighborhoods. An analysis of their housing and neighborhood quality, based on 31 indicators and compared with data from the Census Bureau, shows that Virginia AFDC families live in homes not only of substantially poorer quality than those of other Americans, but also of poorer quality than other Americans living in poverty.

Nearly one-third of families in Virginia who receive public assistance live in housing with severe or moderate physical problems, compared with less than 10 percent of all Americans and less than 20 percent of Americans in poverty.

The commonwealth's AFDC families live more often in homes that lack a complete kitchen or hot and cold water; or that are plagued by heating-system breakdowns, interior and exterior leaks, peeling paint and crumbling plaster, holes in the roof, or boarded-up and broken windows. Furthermore, these families are twice as likely to live in unsafe neighborhoods as other poor families and three times more likely than all of us.

Virginia's AFDC families often spend a larger percentage of their income on housing than other Americans. Using the widely accepted measure of affordability, which says that no more than 30 percent of a family's income should be devoted to housing, only 5 percent of these families can afford rental housing, compared with 50 percent 20 years ago.

Widespread depletion of our nation's low-income housing stock and the failure of AFDC benefits to keep pace with inflation account for this housing crisis. Since 1981, inflation has increased nearly eight times faster than AFDC benefits in many areas of the state.

Most families spend 75 to 100 percent of their income on housing, an absurd figure by any standard, but especially when it buys only substandard housing. Families are forced to choose between such basic necessities as rent and utilities or rent and clothing, with little left over for emergencies and no way of escaping poverty.

How do these families survive? Almost all get food stamps to supplement their budget. About one third received help during the past year from local charities or housing aid from a government agency.

But the most important source of assistance is extended family and friends. Eighty-four percent receive some help from friends or family. Forty-five percent depend on their family or friends for free or reduced rent. Most move in with a relative or share housing with an extended family member. While doubling up means reduced costs and better housing, the situation is often temporary and stressful.

More than half of those interviewed for the report worried about becoming homeless. Seventeen percent had been evicted before and 15 percent had experienced homelessless, making apparent the relationship between AFDC and homelessness.

A number of of approaches exist to close the gap between housing costs and income for the Virginia's poorest families. Most cost money, and require political will.

The need for more federal and state funding for housing assistance and attention to the level of AFDC payments is obvious. However, some policies that impede the ability of families to care for themselves can be changed without additional costs. For example, families could be permitted to work and earn up to the federal poverty threshold without losing their AFDC benefits.

We should also explore ways to support and build on shared living arrangements with extended families. Families are clearly a vital source of aid and assistance, and good social policy should respect and promote those relationships.

Sheila Crowley, a doctoral candidate at the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University, is former executive director of The Daily Planet, a multiservice center for homeless and poor people in Richmond.