As one of the largest cities in Missouri, with 160,628 residents as of the 2007‐2011 American Community Survey, Columbia experiences problems in achieving affordable housing compared to other metropolitan areas across the United States. The current stock of housing includes 69,250 units, of which 57.6% are owner‐occupied while the other 42.4% are renter occupied. Approximately 57% of individuals live in owned homes, with 22.8% paying more than the HUD-defined cost burdened threshold of 30% of total household income in mortgage costs to own the home. Of the 36.7% of
individuals residing in rental units, 49.7% paid more than 30% of total household income in rent (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2013; HUD: Affordable Housing, 2013).