In a report to Congress, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found that “worst case housing needs” grew by nearly 1.2 million households, or more than 20 percent, from 2007 to 2009 and by 42 percent since 2001. “Worst case housing needs” are defined as low-income households who paid more than half their monthly income for rent, lived in severely substandard housing, or both. The study, Worst Case Housing Needs 2009: A Report to Congress, is part of a series of reports to measure the scale of critical housing problems facing low-income un-assisted American renting households. The findings are from HUD's American Housing Survey conducted between May-September, 2009. The report found the increased numbers of worst case needs and the recent recession and related joblessness are strongly related. Read the February 1, 2011 HUD press release: .
