The average American dream entitles citizens to settle down and retire in a quiet suburban home with 2.5 children and a white picket fence may be changing for many searching for housing today.

A recent increase in materials, such as lumber and other building supplies, the increasing popularity of the Sunbelt region, and a lack of affordable housing available have made those dreams all about unattainable for many.

In particular, for Burlington residents, the American Dream of homeownership has warped into an urgent need to find any affordable and safe housing within Alamance County.

Criminal backgrounds, evictions, bankruptcy, and low credit can all deter potential homeowners from acquiring not only home loans but also from renting at all.

Director of Allied Churches of Alamance County, Jai Baker believes the lack of homeowners is directly related to systemic issues, such as the number of people who are in the criminal system within Alamance county.

North Carolina had a total of 51,562 people incarcerated in 2019, according to the Sentencing Project.

"If we are experiencing over 60% of the population having some form of judicial involvement, then those individuals are not qualifying for a loan," Baker said.

Race can also be a factor preventing homeownership.

Of the incarcerated population, a racial disparity between Black to White ratio of inmates was found to be 3.9 in 2019, according to the Sentencing Project.

"If individuals are incarcera, not only are they not qualifying for a loan, but their credit scores probably not going to be the minimum mark," Baker said.

Burlington has an estimated gap in Black homeownership of 23%, according to the 2020 U.S. Census American Community Survey.

Burlington Housing Authority Program Services Director Nikki Ratliff believes differences in economic opportunities can be the cause for less Black homeownership.

"Black homeowners versus White homeowners their income is different," Ratliff said, "and their employment histories are different."

In 2020, the median income for a Black household was $45,870 compared to $71,231 for White households, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

A combination of centuries of systemic, structural, and institutional racism through policies such as redlining, unequal pay, banks' refusal to serve Black clients, Jim Crow, a lack of government resources such as Black veterans not receiving benefits through the GI Bill in the 1950s, and bans on attending higher education all made it harder for Black households to acquire wealth in the same ways as White households have.

Those differences in income can prevent building a worthy credit file for some lenders, according to Ratliff.

The cost of living and the average cost of a home in Burlington may be another factor.

Home prices have been rising for 19 consecutive months, according to a USA TODAY Network localized analysis generated with data from Realtor.com.

While the last time North Carolina minimum wage was raised was in 2008, for a total of 70 cents, from $6.55 to $7.25, according to Minimum Wage.org

Another roadblock for future homeowners is the housing market and the lack of homes available overall.

"There's not a lot of housing inventory in Burlington," Burlington Housing Authority CEO Veronica Revels said, "People are paying way over asking and way over what they're worth just to buy a house."

The costs of building supplies, such as lumber, and the prices of what is available have skyrocketed, causing what's available to be bought quickly and driving up prices.

Material costs for residential construction rose 15% in 2021 from 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer price indexes.

One successful story of finding housing within the county is Lonetta Love, who spent three years acquiring and building a home for her family.

Love grew up in Alamance County and later moved back to the county in 2006 with her three children, cat, and dog into her mother's house.

It took around six weeks to find an available apartment, but three years to find a permanent home to buy.

"It took three years to move," Love said. "It took me six months to find a good job."

Love applied for a job at UNC four times before she was hired as an administrative assistant in Family Medicine at the campus from 2007 to 2014.

Next, Love went to Burlington Housing Authority, BHA, to meet with Nikki Ratliff to discuss ways for Love to eventually become a homeowner through programs such as The Family Self-Sufficiency Program, known as FSS.

The FSS is an employment and savings incentive program that provides support services and community referrals for any BHA client who has a Section 8 housing voucher.

FSS does two things for clients.

It connects clients to an FSS Coordinator to create a five-year Contract of Participation, which sets goals around employment, financial literacy, transportation, childcare, education, health, and wellness.

Secondly, it establishes the FSS Escrow fund, which sets aside rent paid during the

Once successfully completed, participants receive all escrow funds that have built up over time in the program and can be used for anything needed while moving into a new home.

For Love, that was furniture, an expensive but essential need that can't be overlooked when finding housing.

Still, the struggle to become a homeowner is still a huge problem for many; and where are people who can't find housing to go?

Many are forced to extreme options.

"They end up at the homeless shelter, or move to another city or region," Ratliff said.

For many, the pursuit of the American Dream of homeownership continues to be an unattainable goal until something gives.

Destiniee Jaram is a community reporter for Burlington's The Times-News. She is always looking for tips relevant to the Alamance County community. Contact Destiniee at DJaram@gannett.com, follow her on Twitter @DestinieeJaram, or leave her a message at 336-626-6106.

This article originally appeared on Times-News: Barries to homeownership include racial inequality and the cost of living