Where's the housing?

I suppose I might have expected this if I'd thought about it, but this picture draws attention to the reality that "subsidized housing" -- living spaces built, owned, and/or sometimes managed outside the real estate economy -- is mostly a feature of older states in the northeast, with a pocket in the poorest states of the deep south. In the original graphic, you can click on each state and see the number of units per thousand people.

Rhode Island had the most subsidized housing units of any US state in 2022, with over 35 units per 1,000 people. Arizona had the least, with fewer than six units per 1,000 people. These figures represent all housing under contract for federal subsidy, occupied and unoccupied units.

The need for subsidized housing often outweighs the number of units available, meaning applicants can wait years to be approved. ...

... Between 2004 and 2022, the number of units under federal contract as subsidized housing, both occupied and unoccupied, decreased by about 11% nationally. In 2004, there were 17.3 units per 1,000 people; in 2022, there were 15.4.

It's hard to avoid concluding that where there has been decreased supply, there may be greater homelessness. On the other hand, having been inside plenty of public housing in my time, I'm aware that the government is often a lousy landlord -- as are the private firms that governments contract with for management.