Just How Bad is the Affordable Housing Issue in Southern Utah

In case you weren’t aware, Southern Utah has an affordable housing issue. Families across the region are finding unique ways to make it from paycheck to paycheck, and most of the reason for that is due to a lack of starter homes/apartments.

It’s such an issue that many of the St. George City Council candidates from the 2023 election based a chunk of their campaign around such issues, and Utah Governor Spencer Cox is pushing the issue in 2024.

Cox said he has plans to build over 30,000 starter homes across the state by 2029, but that is still going to depend on Cox’s tenure as governor.

Let me give you an example of a young family trying to live in Washington County without breaking the bank.

A 28-year-old friend of mine moved to St. George after completing his education in Boston as a mental health professional. He managed to find a job in Washington County with a salary of about $75,000, but he couldn’t find a proper place to live that wouldn’t kill his budget.

He did what so many families have been doing, he moved into his in-law’s basement. Let me be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with staying with family in this fashion, but it can be depressing for a person to go to years of school only to be hit with a massive hit of reality.

I look forward to seeing if more officials push the affordable housing issue. I’m also curious to see what amenities these 30,000 starting homes possess that Cox seems so adamant about.