Many Lawrence residents struggle to clear the hurdles between themselves and decent, affordable housing in the city.

A group representing various Lawrence housing and social service agencies who met Wednesday night with community members discovered that barriers to housing are so numerous and complex that it will take a second meeting to even begin to formulate solutions.

Among the barriers identified by the more than 20 people who attended the meeting, which was facilitated by the Practitioners Panel Barriers to Housing Subcommittee, the high cost of housing in Lawrence seemed to top the list.

For example, the federal government sets “fair market rents” to determine how much funding to make available to people who qualify for Section 8 housing. In Lawrence, the fair market rent for a two-bedroom dwelling is $568, which is also supposed to cover the cost of utilities.

“Anyone who has experience with housing knows that’s low,” said Barbara Huppee, executive director of the Lawrence Housing Authority.

Kelly Nightengale, a housing specialist at Independence Inc., an independent living resource center for people with disabilities, said many of her clients come to her having recently lost their job because of their disability. Even if they’re receiving assistance from the state, it’s often only $530 Â not enough to pay rent and all the other costs of living.

High up-front costs, such as deposits and utilities hookups, also keep many potential tenants of low- to moderate-income out of housing. Lawrence resident Pat Slick suggested that landlords be limited to requiring just one month’s rent for a deposit. He also said eliminating application fees and mandating rent control  perhaps allowing landlords to charge just 1 percent of the property’s purchase price per month  might make housing more accessible.

Other barriers to housing the group identified included low wages and poor tenant history.

Wednesday night’s discussion will continue at a second meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. March 13 in the Bly Room at Holcom Park Recreation Center, 2700 W. 27th St.

Organizers hope at the next meeting to brainstorm solutions to overcoming housing hurdles and develop a plan of action to enforce those solutions.