Where is America’s affordable housing policy or plan?
In America, millions of people can barely afford housing. This is especially so when it comes to the basic level of housing — rental housing.
As the prices to purchase housing have recently shot through the roof (over the last few years), rental housing has been unaffordable for decades. The primary reason for this is America’s lack of a coherent housing policy.
This lack of commitment to real housing policy, with goals, objectives, and with some consideration of the challenges for ordinary Americans has to be addressed in the near future.
. . .
Life of a housing advocate
I am a long-time tenant lawyer. I have advocated for low to moderate-income Americans in courts, city council chambers, government agencies, and even the U.S. Congress. Housing is a serious challenge in the U.S. Most of us are so busy doing our work and trying to maintain our lives, we rarely see the big picture.
Currently, after nearly three decades practicing housing law in various parts of the country and teaching the law of it, I now teach what I witnessed (and still witness) as an advocate. In teaching the reality of housing policy in the U.S., I see it in even more stark terms.
Here are some terrible facts related to housing for ordinary Americans trying to rent:
- According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual rental housing affordability report, “Out of Reach,” there are very few areas of the country where low-wage workers can afford housing on their salaries.
- Right now, in the nation’s 50 most populous metro areas, the median rent is over $2000.
- “In no state, metropolitan area, or county in the U.S. can a worker earning the federal or prevailing state or local minimum wage afford a modest two-bedroom rental home at fair market rent by working a standard 40-hour work week.”
- Rents continue to soar; while wages hardly match the pace of that increase.
What does it all mean?
It means America has an affordable housing crisis. Approximately 40 percent of the population or more spends more than 35 percent of their income on rent. Approximately 10 percent of the population spends half their monthly income on rent.
America also has a homelessness crisis with over 500,000 homeless persons in the U.S. This number has barely moved in decades. Families are overworked and underpaid in their work. This is no secret either.
More and more families and children are one financial challenge away from eviction and then homelessness. Renters remain at the mercy of many housing providers who dominate markets and control the prices sometimes for substandard dilapidated housing. This is not housing policy. This is the free market with no controls.
Businesses squeeze employees and hold down their labor costs (which is their right but not actually “right”). And year after year, mayors and governors admit the existence of this problem but few take any decisive action. They too are beholden to developers and corporate lenders.
The government is failing the people
How did we get here in America? Easy. This is America, right? Everything is for sale.
The government is aware the private sector does not produce, build, or provide enough affordable housing. The government does not act to fill the void. The government takes its order from the private sector.
The government does not even build any affordable housing anymore. The government does this intentionally because if it did, the private developers would likely lose some profit, but not much. The truth is the corporate sector wants to control the market for its purposes not for society.
The government would rather people sleep in tents in city parks or cram into church missions and homeless shelters. And why? Because it is the government’s choice. You can no longer see it otherwise.
In 1980, the government abandoned any idea of social housing or public housing development in a serious way. It walked away.
There is plenty to be done. In countries all over the world, things are being done and many of these ideas are working. America is different. Here, people in power are motivated by profit and personal gain. They are not motivated by the greater good.
That has to change. For housing problems, that means the development of a comprehensive real housing policy with goals, objectives, and outcomes.
Can we do that, America?
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This post was previously published on Bumpyjonas.
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