According to the North Carolina Housing Coalition (2007), the number of households that lack and are unable to afford adequate housing in North Carolina has reached an astounding total of 740,000. To afford a two-bedroom rental unit rented at fair market value, a household must average twice as much minimum wage on the hour (NC Housing Coalition 2007). Almost 9,000 households in North Carolina endure the winter weather without a heat source (NC Housing Coalition 2007). More important, the report suggests that it is imperative that the federal and local government entities within the State of North Carolina improve “rental housing opportunities for households that earn less 30% of the median income” (NC Housing Coalition 2007). In addition, affordable housing options for those households seeking to purchase a home also need to be improved. Quality housing in the current market is not an option for all. Evidence shows that resources are not shared equitably within first-world nations such as the US and that the rationalization of resources for low or moderate-income levels is not a priority in the housing industry (Pyatok 1993).

Among the population of low or moderate-income level citizens, single mothers and the disabled are a high majority who are affected by the lack of affordable housing market. Even with government assisted programs, these families and individuals not only endure insufficient living conditions, but also financial hardship due to the cost of housing (Kissane 2010). For the purposes of this research project, undergraduate students from the Department of Sociology at Appalachian State University examined the research question. How do government and non-profit agencies define affordable housing and what factors affect the way they define it? More specifically, this research examined what rental or mortgage payments these agencies consider affordable for adequate housing. There is also a need to research how these agencies address income level, additional housing costs, and who receives (or should receive) affordable housing as this may affect what defines affordable housing. This research attempted to address the question of how agencies define affordable housing, filtering out the most relevant and up-to-date literature on the subject. This research also highlighted affordable housing as defined by an array of government and non-profit agencies. It also summarized how income, housing costs, and the recipients of affordable housing are considered by these agencies in reference to affordable housing.