Report: Housing costs a burden on 50% of Mass. residents

HADLEY, Mass. – Almost half of Massachusetts residents report that housing costs are making it difficult for their families to “make ends meet,” according to a study released jointly by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute and the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association.
Released on Monday, the poll results show that 45.5 percent of people reported that their housing costs were a problem. Also, 63.4 percent pegged affordability as an issue of “significant concern.”
“Despite significant drops in housing prices, it is clear from the poll results that many residents across the Commonwealth are still significantly burdened by the cost of housing in Massachusetts,” said Michael D. Goodman, director of economic and public policy research for the Donahue Institute. He added that although some first-time homebuyers now have opportunities to enter the market, “it is clear that hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts families continue to struggle to make ends meet as a result of their housing costs.”
About one-quarter – 25.8 percent – of those polled said they were concerned that they would fall behind their mortgage payments within the next three months.
The University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute is the public service, outreach and economic development unit of the UMass president’s office. To learn more, visit www.donahue.umassp.edu.