Ask Mr. Answer Person: What does "affordable housing" mean?

A decorahnews.com reader wants to know: "What do the terms "affordable housing'' and  "low income housing"  that are being used frequently actually mean?"

Mr. Answer Person says: "Obviously, what one person considers 'affordable' another person might consider 'expensive.'  But when governments use the terms "affordable housing" and "low-income housing," as they have recently in describing a proposed project on East Water Street, they mean specific dollar amounts.

The federal Housing and Urban Development Offices use the median income in a county to determine "affordable housing."  In Winneshiek County in 2104 the median household income was $53,735.  "Affordable" housing and "low-income" housing is based off that figure.  In general, families who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing are considered "cost burdened," so monthly payments for housing costs cannot exceed that.