What Is Affordable Housing?

One of the first questions many people ask about affordable housing is how it is defined. The first module of the Core Concepts training explores what affordable housing is and what conditions create it. Specifically, this section:

• Explains who is affected by housing affordability challenges.
• Outlines why the private market cannot produce sufficient affordable housing on its own.
• Describes the two main types of affordable housing: (a) dedicated affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households and (b) market units that rent or sell at affordable prices.
• Highlights the important role local officials can have in expanding affordable housing.
• Introduces some basic terminology used to describe income and affordability levels.