“In Manatee County, for example, the United Way report estimates that a family of four with an infant and preschool-age child needs $1,117 a month for child care, $995 a month for housing, $699 a month for transportation, $531 a month for food, $426 a month for health care, $215 a month for taxes and $398 a month for miscellaneous expenses. A family would have to earn $4,382 a month to cover all these costs, an income level that is more than double the official poverty cutoff.”
Recent reports by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) and a prior one from Fannie Mae reflect the fact that monthly payments on manufactured housing are about 1/3 lower than the $995 monthly the United Way budgeted for housing. When pre-owned manufactured homes are considered, the monthly costs in many markets may be even lower.
While President Obama and some Democrats campaigned on income inequality as an issue this year, the Pew Research center quoted Florida Senator Marco Rubio talking about creating “a new opportunity society in America” as a conservative approach to addressing persistent poverty.
Income inequality has grown for many years, under the previous and current administrations. But the irony of doing fundraisers with the wealthy, while doing stump speeches on income inequality which has grown in the last 6 years is not to be missed; nor should the chance to tap the growing need for quality affordable housing the manufactured homes represents. ##
Related Stories – GAO report.
CNBC report with Fannie Mae graphic/monthly costs for housing comparisons
Download Pew Research report.
(Image Credit: MHProNews)
