HousingThink Podcast – Episode 5

Written By Jeff Carroll

Workforce Housing is designed for those who earn too much to qualify for affordable housing and too little to live in newer market-rate housing.

Today’s show puts a face on this often-overlooked market segment.

Check Out More Affordable Housing News

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Grand Opening: Buchanan’s Crossing
Grand Opening: Buchanan’s Crossing

This post highlights the grand opening of Buchanan’s Crossing, a fully accessible mixed income community serving veterans and seniors in Kansas City, Kansas. Project sponsors, city leaders, lenders, investors, future residents, and the construction team gathered to celebrate the completion of the first phase. The development will ultimately include forty two and three bedroom duplex units and required a major off site sanitary sewer improvement, including a one hundred forty four foot bridge that supports utilities for the project and future growth in the area. Jeff Carroll and Bob Hughes addressed attendees before the ribbon cutting and walk through, marking an important milestone for the community.

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CBRE Report: The Case for Workforce Housing
CBRE Report: The Case for Workforce Housing

CBRE Research’s report, The Case for Workforce Housing, outlines why this underserved segment offers strong investment potential. The study points to solid supply and demand fundamentals, noting that workforce housing consistently demonstrates stable occupancy, resilient renter demand, and reliable performance across market cycles. CBRE concludes that these characteristics give the sector a strong foundation for continued good investment returns, reinforcing the importance of expanding housing options for middle income renters.

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Fannie Mae Report: Workforce Housing
Fannie Mae Report: Workforce Housing

This post summarizes Fannie Mae’s findings on the workforce housing market, defined by the Urban Land Institute as households earning sixty to one hundred percent of Area Median Income. This group represents roughly thirty percent of all renter households in the United States, yet very few new units are being built to serve them. Most new construction targets renters earning above one hundred percent of AMI or below sixty percent of AMI, leaving a significant gap for the middle income households who form the backbone of local economies.

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About the Author

Jeff Carroll is a trusted leader in workforce and affordable housing who has spent his career building communities that balance efficiency, affordability, and long term stability. He leads Allen & Associates Consulting and helped launch the Workforce Housing Development Corporation, guiding projects that use innovative construction methods and mission aligned financing. With thousands of consulting assignments completed nationwide and degrees from Clemson and Harvard, Jeff brings deep technical insight and steady strategic vision to every project he supports.

Jeff Carroll
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