Single-person households and excessive urban rent burden: an analysis for housing public policy in Brazil

Resumo

This article examines why, in Brazil, despite substantial investment in subsidized credit, particularly for low-income families to acquire homeownership, there has been a persistent and significant rise in households facing excessive urban rent burdens, especially among the poorest single-person households. A household is classified as having an excessive rent burden when its total income does not exceed three times the minimum wage, and more than 30% of that income is spent solely on rent. The theoretical framework of this study integrates aspects of family formation dynamics and housing policies, with a particular focus on homeownership. Methodologically, we employ specific analyses, including headship rates and others to assess the processes and challenges associated with this particular household arrangement. The evidence shows that there is a greater incidence of excessive urban rent burden among single person households, at least in two critical periods: men, at the beginning of their working life, and women, later in life. These kinds of households have increased faster in the period analyzed (2017-2022). We conclude that developing targeted strategies to support the poorest individuals living alone is critical, necessitating more precisely tailored policy approaches for effective housing solutions. Currently, these considerations are absent from Brazil’s primary housing policies. In many respects, the country’s housing policy has yet to address persistent, historically rooted challenges, even as new issues continue to emerge.