Today 31 percent of Durham County families are housing cost burdened (meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs). For low-income renters, that number increases to 77 percent.
Durham prides itself on being a place where anyone can belong and thrive, yet three-quarters of our low-income residents cannot sustainably afford housing here. We have to be better.
The Triangle Community Foundation estimates that Durham is 24,755 affordable units short of its low-income residents’ current housing needs. That is to say nothing of housing for those who aren’t considered low-income but still struggle to afford housing costs every month. Taking affordability seriously in Durham means committing to taking steps toward filling our housing gap now. So how do we do it? How can our city fill a gap that big?
To watch our city council now, one might think that rezoning cases are the solution. Rezoning cases are requests to change a zoning designation to allow for a new or altered development. Contentious cases (and there have been quite a few) have come to animate the housing debate in Durham. Those that vote in favor of a development’s rezoning request are criticized for not demanding enough affordable housing and environmental protections from the developer. Those who vote against are accused of being antigrowth and driving up citywide housing prices by limiting supply…