Report: State Deals With Shortage Of Affordable Housing

Massachusetts is dealing with severe shortage of affordable housing.

The Boston Globe reports that the rate of new housing production in Massachusetts is among the lowest in the country, with luxury units expected to make up the vast majority of new apartments built in Boston in the next three years. One in four renters in the state spends at least half their household income on rent - higher than the one-third recommended.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, housing subsidies have been slashed and the homeless population is increasing faster than in any other state, up 40 percent in seven years.

When a local nonprofit announced a lottery for a new batch of rental subsidy vouchers this month, it got 10,000 applicants for just 73 slots.