LIMA, OH (WLIO) - The Lima mayor joined other mayors from Ohio and Michigan to urge the federal government to make housing affordability a top priority.
Mayor Smith has a three-prong approach to help with housing.
A group from the U.S. Conference of Mayors met in Detroit to tour one of their housing projects and to call on whoever takes office in January to move housing issues to the top of their agenda.
Mayor Sharetta Smith said 64% of households that earn $50,000 a year spend 30% of their income on housing. The median household income in Lima, Ohio, is $42,000, and housing costs are impacting residents' bottom line.
Mayor Sharetta Smith said 64% of households that earn $50,000 a year spend 30% of their income on housing.
"As Mayor, I spend a lot of time in conversations with residents, and I heard the stories. I heard the stories of individuals of paying not 30% of their take-home pay but 59% of their take-home pay just to keep a roof over their head. These are issues that affect the quality of life. These are issues that affect work performance. These are issues that really get to the heart of the matter of whether or not our cities are going to be thriving," says Mayor Sharetta Smith.
Mayor Smith has a three-prong approach to help with housing, which includes federal funding to preserve existing housing stock, to help families buy homes, and changing the low-income tax credits to allow developers to build more single-family homes.
The median household income in Lima, Ohio, is $42,000, and housing costs are impacting residents' bottom line.
"When our essential workers, those that educate our children, take care of our families, and keep our communities safe, cannot afford to keep a home, we've got a problem. And it is a problem that the mayors are united in addressing. It is a problem that the mayors are calling attention to our leaders at the White House to do something about housing affordability for all American people," adds Mayor Smith.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors says no matter if it is a Republican or Democrat mayor or a big city or small city, they all believe that housing is a top concern across the United States.
