RENT: Prices too high

I am writing in regard to the article in the March 4 paper, “What $1,500 Gets Renters.”

I realize that rentals are few and far between in Kootenai County, which allows owners to be able to charge whatever they want, but these owners need to take in consideration the poverty level in Kootenai County. From the U.S. Census Bureau 2016 survey in American Fact Finder, Kootenai County’s median household income is $50,924 per year with 12.6 percent living below the poverty level. The median rental amount is $878, which is still way too high for those who are working a minimum wage job.

My example is for someone making $10 per hour, working 40 hours per week. Their take home is approximately $1,200 per month, and if a person is only supposed to spend 30 percent of their income on housing, they would only be able to afford $360 in rent per month, not including their utilities. In order to be able to pay $1,500 per month for the rental in the article, one would have to bring home $5,000 each month. I don’t know anyone who makes that kind of money in Kootenai County.

Landlords, please consider those of us who work hard, but can’t afford these outrageous prices for rent.

ERIN DELANEY

Coeur d’Alene