Puji Masireddy

The pandemic has left many people struggling to pay rent in the United States. Some groups in the South Asian community already faced prior issues in their ability to pay rent and may have been more impacted.

Roughly 30% of both Bangladeshi and Pakistani renters are severely rent-burdened, meaning they pay more than 50% of their income on rent. Closely following, over 20% of Sri Lankan and Nepali renters are severely burdened.

There was a steady increase in the percentage of Pakistani renters severely burdened between 2000 and 2019 and a sharp increase in the percentage of Bangladeshi renters severely burdened, jumping from 19% to 34% between 2000 and 2010.

There is not sufficient data for the US-born South Asian populations in 2019 amongst the severely burdened renters. But, it is very clear that Bangladeshi and Pakistani immigrants are the ones most severely impacted.

There are many organizations that are working to address these housing needs for the general population, but it is important that they take into consideration factors like language barriers, cultural differences, and stigmas around social services when reaching out to help these communities. An organization working to address the housing burden in the Desi community is Bangladeshi American Community Development and Youth Services (BACDYS). They were founded in 2009 in New York and focus on affordable housing, education, and youth programs. BACDYS’s mission is to “provide low-income families with the skills, the confidence, and the knowledge that will help them improve their living conditions.”

Check them out and let’s talk more openly about the housing challenges many of our community may be having at this time.