“This is in every community, far and wide.”

Amy Riegel, executive director of the Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio, was speaking Nov. 4 about homelessness, poverty and the shortage of affordable housing in the Buckeye State.

The number of good-paying jobs has not kept up with the soaring cost of housing here. So, “for every 100 extremely low income individuals looking for housing, there’s 40 units available,” according to Riegel.

Extremely low income is $27,485 or less for a family of four. In Ohio, 28% of renter households are extremely low income, and there is a shortage of 267,000 rental homes that are affordable and accessible to those people. But the problem is not just for those lowest earners.

“In the state of Ohio, you’d have to earn $20.81 an hour to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment,” Reigel said.

Riegel also noted the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows of the top 10 jobs occupied by Ohio workers, only two pay enough per hour for those workers to afford the modest two-bedroom apartment.

And, again, that’s assuming those apartments or homes are even available.

The Mahoning Valley is no exception.

Affordable and available housing is difficult to come by for many here. It used to be that those who couldn’t afford to buy a home could rent an apartment at a reasonable monthly rate. In fact, both Warren and Youngstown — and surrounding areas — were once considered among the most affordable places to live, be it as a homeowner or renter.

Ohio is considered the most affordable state in which to live according to a New Clever Real Estate study. Toledo, in fact, tops the list of 100 most-affordable cities in America. Akron, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus also are in the top 30.

So why do all of these Ohio cities — along with Warren and Youngstown — have such a homelessness problem?

Myriad factors can result in individuals and families living in cars or on the streets. Joblessness, alcohol / substance abuse and mental illness can all force people out of their homes.

You don’t have to travel far or search long to find people without a roof over their heads.

Shelters in the Mahoning Valley get busy this time of year. The homeless are often in need of a meal, but when the nights get cold and the snow begins to fly, many people are in dire need of a warm place to sleep. It won’t be too long before daytime temperatures can get dangerously low. The demand for shelter space has only grown over time and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.

The lack of affordable housing in the Warren and Youngstown areas was a problem that came up in nearly every election-related interview as Nov. 5 approached and candidates sought local, state and federal office. It will be interesting to note how many candidates who got elected last Tuesday will remain committed to making serious inroads against this problem.

But it isn’t just a problem of homelessness. As noted above, inflation and staggering interest rates have made owning a home virtually impossible for many who would have been home buyers just 20 years ago. Recent revaluations of homes also threaten to force elderly homeowners out of houses they’ve bought and paid for in full years ago.

If they can no longer afford property taxes, how can those on fixed incomes afford to rent apartments?

We can’t have it both ways. We can’t price out and otherwise exclude potential tenants, we can’t fail to encourage developers to build affordable housing, and then turn around and complain that too many people are living without a roof over their heads and daring to be visible in our midst.

Policy makers must shift gears toward incentivizing the building of fair, affordable housing across the state. The alternative is figuring out how to support those individuals and families who are forced to survive any way they can.