Housing for everyone.
To me this statement seems logical, appropriate, compassionate and, well, just plain common sense. Everyone lives some place so why is the idea of housing for everyone so controversial...? Here are a couple of thoughts:
Many people buy into the zero-sum game philosophy, i.e., for you to win, to get ahead, or to have what you need, means I am harmed in some way. Or to say it another way, one person's gain is equivalent to another's loss, so the net change in wealth or benefit is zero. In the housing realm that idea is often reflective in the idea that for housing to be affordable (meaning a reasonable cost), I have to give up my big house, safe neighborhood or somehow pay for your affordable dwelling through exorbitant taxes. Not true.
2. Housing for everyone implies that those without great wealth or households with limited income must live in poor housing. Somehow the idea of housing for everyone means we must endorse dilapidated or non-decent housing in some way that brings down the overall value of our neighborhoods and community. Not true.
I posted yesterday that the US has a national housing goal: "The Congress affirms the national goal that every American family be able to afford a decent home in a suitable environment."
I affirm their position, but let's consider that...perhaps a decent home doesn't look like a 4 bedroom home in the suburbs or a swanky downtown loft. Perhaps its a BOXABL home or a mobile home or a tiny home. Perhaps a suitable environment includes infill lots or rural farmland or urban pocket pods and not just quiet culdesacs or yards with picket fences.
We have a national housing crisis and a housing shortage. We have to rethink how we reach our national goal. We have to be creative and support new ideas and new ways to get people housed affordably. Existing models of affordable housing should be supported and continue to be championed, but new ideas have to also be considered. Do these come with more risk? Sure -- all new ideas do, but everyone deserves housing so we need to figure it out. We, my fellow Americans, have what it takes to plan and move aggressively to ensure everyone has a place to live. Let's do this.
-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP
