As housing prices increase in cities across the country, many teachers are finding it harder to
afford to live in the districts in which they teach. Teacher salaries aren’t keeping up with the
rising cost of living. These challenges are contributing to widespread teacher turnover, which is
known to have negative effects on students. Teachers are getting second jobs, moving in with
many roommates, moving out of the districts where they teach to areas with lower housing
costs, or leaving the profession altogether. Some cities have begun to address these issues
by providing affordable housing options for teachers. Already, some of these efforts have been
shown to increase teacher retention rates.

Across the country, cities with high costs of living, as well as rural areas with low housing
inventory, have taken steps to address the high cost of housing for educators. Several studies
point to the effectiveness that these efforts have had on both teacher recruitment and retention.
In Baltimore, a textile mill and a tin can factory were transformed into apartments with deep
discounts for teachers, not only providing financial support, but also creating a supportive
professional community among educators. In Santa Clara, CA, where the housing costs are
often prohibitive for teachers, the district sees an average of 24% turnover annually, as
compared to only 8% attrition for teachers who live in the subsidized apartments.

This document is a brief look at the projects that are emerging to provide affordable teacher
housing. It is almost certain that even more projects like
these have begun; this is just a snapshot – one moment in time in the world of affordable educator
housing. There are projects in urban areas as well as rural, in at least eleven states, ranging in
size from ten apartments to two hundred. In general, they can be grouped into two buckets:
those without direct involvement of a school district, and those with district involvement.