Madison’s (un)affordable and (in)accessible housing problem

The hoops and hurdles to accessing affordable housing.

Script and sources

Panel 1: 

Narration: The first time I realized I needed accessible housing I was 21 years old and fresh out of an inpatient hospital admission related to my chronic illness.

Image: An aerial shot of my apartment’s long flight of stairs. I am sitting on the steps at the bottom and my friend stands a few steps above making a phone call. A word bubble comes out of the phone reading “911 what’s your emergency.” My friend states “My friend just got out of the hospital. She collapsed on the stairs.”

Panel 2:

Narration: My old apartment complex on Gilman Street had an elevator that started on the second floor. 

Image: A building contractor reviews his notes and states “I have a brilliant idea – let’s make sure the elevator never reaches the ground floor!” 

Image: A diagram of my former apartment complex, showing how the elevator starts on the second floor and a long flight of stairs are needed to reach it. 

Panel 3:

Narration: Despite a multitude of problems and incompatibility with my health status, my Gilman street apartment was the only place I could afford.

Image: A drawing of the exterior of my apartment building. Signs are plastered all over the front reading “bedbugs included!” “Renting $525/month” “Less than 200 sq. ft. of personal space!” “Frat parties next door 24/7!”

Panel 4: 

Narration: However, my problems as a disabled renter making far less than Madison’s skyrocketing area median income were hardly unique.

Image: Madison-area residents “sleep out” outside of a leasing office in fall 2022. The leasing office is opening up spots for affordable housing on a first-come first serve basis. Residents get in line early by sleeping outside of the office overnight. 

Panel 5: 

Narration: Area median income stands for the median income of a certain geographic region. In Dane County, in 2022, that income – used to determine prices for “affordable” housing – was $84,831 for a household of one.

Image: shows a graph that demonstrates that the AMI is the midpoint between highest income earners and lowest income earners, and that affordable housing prices are based off of roughly 30%, 50%, 60%, and 80% of the AMI. 

Panel 6:

Narration: For renters making less than 30% of the AMI, however, in 2018, there were less than 11,300 rental units that would meet those renter’s needs.

Narration: Meanwhile, for renters making between 50 – 80% of the AMI, Madison actually had a surplus of rental units available in 2018. 

Image: An abbreviated hand-drawn diagram from the City of Madison’s 2022 housing snapshot that demonstrates the 11,300 rental gap for the former statistic and a nearly 16k rental surplus for the latter.

Panel 7:

Narration: Cue the problem with city-wide and federal “solutions” to unaffordable housing.

Image: The mayor of madison announces another new affordable housing initiative*

*that requires you to still make between (or slightly under) $40,400 and $62,600

Panel 8:

Narration: The affordable housing in question:

Image: A series of Madison’s “affordable” housing complexes lined up next to each other. Income thresholds are posted on the buildings, indicating all renters must make around 50 – 60% AMI or 50 – 80% AMI, and the rent will be between $1,075 and $1,325. 

Panel 9: 

Narration: This housing, called section 42 housing, provides tax credits to developers for building (some) units for renters making between (or slightly under) 50 – 80% of the AMI*

Image: A city official handing over tax credits (represented as stacks of money) to a group of developers fighting for the biggest stack.

*And very rarely, under 30% of the AMI in exchange for bigger credits

Panel 10:

Narration: And while renters are also supposed to benefit from the reduced rents, the reality is that the most disadvantaged often don’t. 

Image: I sit at a table for my interview for section 42 housing. The leasing agent states, “Congrats, you’ve been approved! Your affordable rent is $1,175/month!” I respond, “But that’s way more than 30% of my income. I can’t afford that.”

Panel 11:

Narration: That is, if you can even get approved in the first place.

Image: An application for section 42 housing reads “Makes just above 30% AMI.” An arrow pointing to the application clarifies “too poor to afford 50% units.” Big red letters are stamped across the application reading “REJECTED.”

Narration: Or –

Image: An application for section 42 housing reads “Is on Supplemental Security Income.” An arrow pointing to the application clarifies “too poor to afford 30% units.” Big red letters are stamped across the application reading “REJECTED.”

Narration: Or –

Image: An application for section 42 housing reads “Works 3 jobs but is a full-time student” An arrow pointing to the application clarifies “students not allowed in section 42 housing.” Big red letters are stamped across the application reading “REJECTED.”

Panel 12:

Narration: To make matters worse, some of this housing is some of the city’s only wheelchair accessible housing. 

Image: A bunch of non-disabled people enter an elevator in a section 42 housing complex, laughing and jumping around.

Narration: But disabled people have double the rate of poverty as non-disabled people, and very few who rely on SSI or can’t work full time can afford it.

Image: Someone with a wheelchair struggles to drag their chair up the stairs in a run-down complex next to the accessible section 42 complex. The person thinks “My doctors think I’m just not trying hard enough to move.”

Panel 13:

Narration: The reality is, the city’s “solutions” to affordable housing are a far cry from what the most disadvantaged renters need.

Image: A series of notices are taped to an apartment door reading “Eviction notice.” “$300 rent increase starting August 1” “2 year wait-list for section 8”

Panel 14:

Narration: I’ve watched several of my friends get priced out of the city.

Image: I stand on the curb near a street hugging my friend goodbye. I tell her “I’ll miss you.” My friend’s car sits behind her, with a uhaul attachment connected to the back. 

Panel 15:

Narration: In turn, the so-called “affordable” housing has become even more unaffordable as people with more money move in.

Image: Two people drive into the city with a load of trucks behind them. One of them says “Raising the AMI one gentrifier at a time.”

Panel 16:

Narration: The solutions to this problem are rooted in power dynamics that are difficult to change. 

Image: I approach my landlord and ask him “Can you not raise my rent please.” My landlord states a firm “no.” Meanwhile, papers float down in the background of the conversation with other proposals like “rent control” and “more federal funding for actual affordable housing.” All proposals are stamped in red with the word “REJECTED”

Panel 17:

Narration: But at the end of the day, moving forward starts with transparency.

Image: I call an “affordable” housing complex and ask them what their rental prices are for a one-bedroom, which are not listed on their website.

Panel 18:

Narration: And that means calling so-called “affordable” housing what it is –

Image: The leasing agent responds to me that all of their units are 100% affordable.

Panel 19:

Image: I again ask the leasing agent what the rent is. She tells me it’s $1,350. 

Narration: In other words, unaffordable.

Sources

Panel 5:

“Dane County, Wisconsin.” United States Census Bureau, data.census.gov/profile/Dane_County,_Wisconsin?g=0500000US55025. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023.

Panel 6: 

Housing Snapshot Report 2022, City of Madison Community Developement Division, 4 

Aug. 2022,https://www.cityofmadison.com/dpced/community-
development/documents/2022%20Housing%20Snapshot%20Report%20-%208_4_22.pdf.

Panel 7: 

Quintana, Amanda. “Madison Mayor Prioritizes Affordable Housing in 2021 Capital Budget.” 

Channel3000.Com, 1 Sept. 2020, www.channel3000.com/news/local-news/madison-mayor-prioritizes-affordable-housing-in-2021-capital-budget/article_3a73547e-fd63-5e75-99de-995d9754189b.html.

HUD Income Guidelines – State Wisconsin, Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, 2022, 

www.fhlbc.com/docs/default-source/community-investment/affordable-housing-program/hud-income-guidelines/2022-wisconsin.pdf?sfvrsn=59876f60_5.

Panel 8:

I obtained rental prices through phone calls, email exchanges, and limited information available on “affordable” housing websites. It was very difficult to obtain this information for all housing listed, and I was not given clear answers most of the time.

Panel 9:

I obtained this information in a zoom conversation with folks working in Madison’s Community Development Division. You can find more information about section 42 housing in this manual published by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Developement Authority (WHEDA): https://www.novoco.com/public-media/documents/wisconsin_13.pdf

Panel 12:

Elflein, John. “Disability Poverty Rate U.S. 2008-2021.” Statista, 17 Apr. 2023, 

www.statista.com/statistics/979003/disability-poverty-rate-us/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20data%2C%20in,U.S.%20from%202008%20to%202021.