You don't have to be in the hunt for a new place to lay your head to know the housing market is tight in Greater Columbus.

All indications are that it is going to get tighter. 

Realtor.com, a listing service, predicts Columbus will be the nation's fifth-hottest housing market in 2022. It says home sales and asking prices will grow twice as fast as national rates.

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, a central Ohio planning agency, projects that the 15-county area will grow to 3 million residents by 2050.

Where will all the new people live?

More importantly, will those struggling to make ends meet in Columbus now be forced out because housing costs are too high? 

The Columbus Dispatch, in partnership with The Columbus Foundation, will present a live online discussion on affordable housing needs in Greater Columbus.

The Dispatch Columbus Conversation: "Can People Afford to Live Here?"will stream live at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 14, on this newspaper's website — Dispatch.com — as well as its Facebook page. It will be available to view on those platforms following the event as well. 

The free, hour-long discussion will be hosted by Dispatch Opinion and Community Engagement Editor Amelia Robinson. 

Please indicate that you will attend the event at bit.ly/DispatchAffordableHousing to receive notification when it begins.