Mapping to Illustrate Your Advocacy Work

When the Maryland Center for Community Development (MCCD) wanted to show policy makers that expanding the services of check cashing facilities would most likely impact low income communities, they came to CLICD. Lobbyist's original argument was that the expansion of check cashing facilities services would benefit middle income families. CLICD created maps that helped MCCD show policy makers that the majority of check cashing facilities are predominately located in low income neighborhoods and communities where 50% or more of the population is non-white. An expansion of services would most likely affect their current clientele ­ lower income residents.

Click here to view MCCD's map

The National Low Income Housing Coalition's annual report "Out of Reach: The Growing Gap Between Housing Costs and Income of Poor People in the United States" was released on September 20. This report is a good example of public policy work that can and should be mapped. The NLIHC report revealed that in no single jurisdiction in the United States, can a minimum wage worker afford the Fair Market Rent for homes in their communities. In the attached map, we presented the State of Maryland by county and showed how much money a wage earner needs to make in order to afford a two-bedroom unit. In Maryland you need to earn between $9 and $16 per hour depending on where you live.

Other examples of other maps we could make using the "Out of Reach" data include affordability issues for TANF and SSI families and showing the most expensive counties or metropolitan areas to live if you are a minimum wage worker.

The "Out of Reach" study estimates the affordability of the "fair market rents" (FMRs) established annually by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). FMRs are used for the Section 8 rental housing certificate and voucher programs. They are HUD's best estimates, based on telephone surveys and other data, of gross rents (including utilities) of "privately owned, decent, safe, and sanitary rental housing of a modest (non-luxury) nature with suitable amenities" of units offered for rent in fiscal year 1999. By using FMRs, Out of Reach is able to analyze the relationship between housing costs and incomes in every jurisdiction, as the FMRs are the only estimate of housing costs that are uniform across the nation. The calculations also assume the generally accepted standard of spending not more than 30% of income on housing costs.

CLICD staff pulled the "Out of Reach" data from the NLIHC web site by county for the State of Maryland and created a State of Maryland base map using HUD's Community 2020 software. Maps like this can be made for every state using county or metropolitan area.

The entire report, Out of Reach: The Growing Gap Between Housing Costs and Income of Poor People in the United States, is available from NLIHC at 202-662-1530, and on their website>Established in 1974, the National Low Income Housing Coalition is a membership organization dedicated solely to ending America's affordable housing crisis. NLIHC educates, organizes, and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing within healthy neighborhoods for everyone. Local contacts are available in major cities around the nation for comments on the report and on affordable housing issues. Contact NLIHC for names and contact information.

Click here to view NLIHC's map