Although the recession may have temporarily stalled the rising cost of housing in the United States, it did not result in increased access to affordable rental housing for households that need it most: extremely low income families facing the greatest housing cost burden. As demand flooded the rental market over the past year, indicated by the vacancy rate dropping to the lowest level since 2001, rental costs have begun to inch up, impacting those households already most vulnerable to price fluctuations.The rental market is expected to continue to heat up, with more moderate income households choosing to rent, making even fewer housing options available to low income renters. (Authors)