Why is affordable housing needed?
Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies issued a report stating that low-income tax credit and financing programs contribute more than 100,000 new units of affordable housing each year. However, approximately double that (200,000) rental housing units are lost each year due to demolition. This shrinks the supply of affordable housing for low-and moderate-income families.

Even with the rise in homeownership, the number of renter households has held steady over the past decade at an estimated 34 million—more than four million are age 65 and older. More than 95 percent of Americans will rent at some point in their lives.

Besides availability, affordability is a vital issue. The Harvard study indicated that of the nation’s seven million lowest-income renters, nearly five million pay more than half of their incomes for housing. The national low-income housing coalition estimates that, in larger metropolitan areas, the current “housing wage”—the amount it takes to afford a standard two-bedroom apartment at 30 percent of income—is two to three times the minimum wage.


What Makes Alamo Area Mutual Housing Association different? What is the benefit of Alamo Area Mutual Housing Association being a nonprofit?
AAMHA exists to provide affordable housing to individuals and families who earn 80 percent or less of the area median income. This constitutes many people who are part of two-adult working households.

Every cent of additional revenue generated by Alamo in the owning and operating of its apartment communities goes back into the communities—to fund the resident programs and services and to continue making AAMHA communities the “communities of choice” for the people who live there.