Hispanic homeowners benefit from the appreciation of home prices, while potential homeowners and Hispanic renters continue to face problems of affordability, according to a report released today by the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies (ILS) and Esperanza USA.
“Inequitable treatment and outright discrimination against Hispanic homebuyers and renters is still an all-too-common problem which requires continued monitoring and increased efforts to enforce fair housing laws,” said Timothy Ready, director of research for the ILS and author of the report, titled “Hispanic Housing in the United States 2006.”
The report documents Hispanics’ growing impact on housing markets throughout the country, including in regions where, until recently, they had little or no significant presence in either the home rental or purchase markets. For example, between 1995 and 2005, growth in the number of Hispanic households in Iowa was 311 percent, and in North Carolina it increased by 401 percent, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total growth in that state.
The study shows that whatever the outcome of current debates on immigration reform, the fact that two-thirds of Hispanic children whose fathers are foreign born and nearly 90 percent of Hispanic children overall are U.S.-born citizens ensures a large and growing Hispanic presence in thousands of communities throughout the nation.
Other key findings include:
- Hispanics accounted for more than one-third of the total growth in U.S. households between 1995 and 2005.
- Owner-occupied homes accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total growth in Hispanic households between 1995 and 2005.
- Hispanic gains helped to stabilize the market for rental homes by offsetting 98 percent of the net decrease in non-Hispanic renter-occupied households nationwide.
- In 2003, 3.26 million Hispanic renters used at least 50 percent of their income for housing and are considered severely cost burdened—a 32 percent increase in only two years.
The Institute for Latino Studies was established in 1999 to promoteunderstanding and appreciation of the Latino experience in the UnitedStates through research, education and outreach. It seeks to enhance interdisciplinary study and research in Latino studies as a vital component of Notre Dame’s academic mission. Its areas of studyinclude Latino spirituality, art, literature, history, politics andsocioeconomic conditions.
A faith-based Hispanic organization committed to strengthening the Hispanic community, Esperanza USA addresses the state of Hispanic housing through both local and national programs.
The full report is available at www.nd.edu/~latino/research/publications.htm .
Contact: Timothy Ready, 574-631-2974, ready.7@nd.edu
Originally published by at newsinfo.nd.edu on June 05, 2006.