New "I Can't Wait" Campaign Illustrates Why Our Affordable Housing Crisis Needs to End

Reprinted with permission of  Colorlines.com. For more news from a racial justice perspective, sign up to receive weekly  Colorlines Direct.

The housing crisis catapulted by the great recession hit communities of color particularly hard. Latino and black homeowners were 70-80 percent more likely to be offered subprime loans before the recession, and 71-76 percent more likely to have lost their homes than white homeowners. Many of those most affected by the housing crisis continue to experience hardships, especially in an era where unemployment remains high, housing costs have reached their highest in two decades, and rental rates have steadily increased, causing many to spend a disproportionate amount of their income paying for a place to live. 

Today, the Homes for All Campaign launched “I Can’t Wait“ — a new multimedia digital storytelling platform that enables those still grappling with the housing crisis to share their personal story. The site also provides a calculator and resources to help visitors determine how much of their income they are and should be spending on housing. People such as Jackie L. — who is currently living in an abandoned house in Springfield, Ill., and Clerida R. — who is seeking a new home after hers was foreclosed on in Boston, Mass., are featured on the site. Their stories put a human face on the ongoing U.S. housing crisis, and the hardships faced by communities of color struggling to find adequate housing in a tough economy.