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A lot of housing is being built in Madison, but experts say it’s far from enough.

As of late February, 822 single adults and 144 households with children in the area were homeless in shelters, living outside or in a car, or other places not meant for human habitation, according to the Dane County Homeless Services Consortium. And that doesn’t include those doubled up, staying with friends or family, or paying for motel rooms.

The city’s rental vacancy rate, which dipped below 2 percent in 2012-13, has inched upward amid new construction to 3.34 percent in 2018, still short of a healthy target of 5 percent, meaning many people with lower incomes must still compete for scarce units with high rents chewing up income needed for food and other basics.

Housing advocates, and city and county officials say perhaps 13,000 more housing units are needed for the very poor — those making less than 30 percent of the county median income, or $27,500 for a family of four, and that the city would have to create 1,000 units a year for the foreseeable future to meet demand for housing for those making up to 60 percent of county median income, or $55,020 for a family of four.

“It’s a very heavy lift,” city community services director Jim O’Keefe said.