Across the country, innovative partnerships of developers and local stakeholders are finding success. Here’s how. The housing affordability issue in the U.S. is at a crisis stage. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates a shortage of 7.3 million affordable rental homes, with an average of only 34 units per 100 extremely low-income households. Narrowing this gap is a tall order, given interest rates, construction and labor costs, and the challenge of ensuring the long-term affordability of the units.