A new national study by the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC) and the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA) estimates that preserving the nation’s 899,000 public housing units will require $169.1 billion over the next decade—an average of $188,090 per unit. The report, part of the 10-Year Roadmap for Public Housing Sustainability, updates the federal government’s last comprehensive assessment from 2010 and reflects more than a decade of cost escalation, inflation, and deferred maintenance.
The findings highlight how aging public housing is deteriorating faster than funding streams can keep up. One quarter of all units have estimated repair costs below $87,700, but another quarter exceed $273,000—underscoring how uneven capital needs have become across the country.
The Roadmap proposes preserving about 90,000 units annually through 2035 via mixed financing strategies that combine federal, state, and private investment.
What This Means for TAAHP Members:
Texas faces similar pressures as older developments reach the limits of repair. Members can use the findings to strengthen local preservation proposals, demonstrate long-term capital needs, and highlight the economic case for reinvestment in Texas’s aging affordable housing portfolio.
Read the full study here: HousingFinance.com – Study Reveals $169 Billion Investment Needed to Preserve Public Housing