Property Transfers: Is the American Dream still possible to achieve?

In this edition of Property Transfers, we want to share an aggregation of important research on the state of the "American Dream," that unique ideal that with hard work and perserverance, anyone can achieve success.

Pew Research just released the findings of its first-ever analysis of whether U.S. citizens believe the American Dream still possible? The sample size encompassed more than 8,000 adults.

The answer: nearly 53% of Americans say that the American Dream remains achievable, while 41% say that it is much harder to achieve than in the past, especially among younger adults who find housing costs out of reach.

As education and workforce development reporter Joseph Schwartzburt reported last week, federal poverty guidelines are woefully insufficient in capturing how many people within our communities are struggling just to achieve a "survival buget" for their households to meet the needs of housing, clothing, shelter and food. United Way of the Coastal Empire is working with Savannah-area employers to raise awareness of those with our region who fall into the ALICE camp.

As Schwartburt wrote, "UWCE has partnered with the broader network of Georgia United Ways to become the 29 ^th state to tap into a national database initated by the United Way of Northern New Jersey in 2009. The database is known as United For ALICE , which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Asset limited refers those who might be renting as opposed to owning a home or riding a bus because they cannot afford a reliable car plus insurance. Income constrained essentially means employed but unable to make ends meet."

With so much good research and examples of best practices available, Savannah Morning News is going to help connect the dots. Over the next several months, Savannah Morning News will roll out a series of articles to truly understand the nuanced challenges with finding quality, affordable housing in our region and to seek solutions to help get roofs over people's heads.

Stay tuned.

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This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Property Transfers: Is the American Dream still possible to achieve?