Affordable Housing In America
Families or individuals who pay more than 30% of their income on housing are considered people in need of affordable housing because they may have difficulty affording other necessities like food, clothing, transportation and medical care. So let me ask you this, how much of your overall income do you spend on housing? Affordable housing is a problem seen by almost everyone, not just the very lowest income families. Even if you can afford your house, you constantly see or hear about others who cannot. Especially because the lack of affordable housing causes homelessness, overcrowding, illegal units, subdivision of existing units or slums and that is something you cannot ignore (Winderman, 2008). In the United States, it is estimated that about
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12 million people pay more than 50% of their income on housing, especially because from 2000 to 2014, the cost of living increased by 37% and the median household income increased 28% (Winderman, 2008). This is an obvious display that we need affordable housing in our country for our citizens in need. Affordable housing is good for the communities’ well-being as a whole. In order to tackle this affordable housing problem in the United States, Shaffer suggests that cities should make a housing plan that includes projects and programs to move forward, and should identify sites for new housing production, existing housing resources to preserve, rehabilitation programs and government assistance programs (2015). This means addressing zoning, approvals and permits, codes, affordability rates and planning requirements. To see these plans and programs put into action, we will look at two case studies: San Francisco and New York City. Both of these cities have large populations with both, highs and lows of their affordable housing policies. San Francisco is a city located in northern California on a peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay with a population of about 865,000 according to the 2015 estimated census.
It is a city nationally known for its best practices in housing and community development. Between the times of 1968-1978, this Californian city created community housing programs and policies and it has, for the most part, thrived under it since then. Before it was implemented, the city’s affordable housing stock consisted of public housing and federally funded housing development. A big factor in making a change prior to this program was the local citizens. They established attention of the government because they were sick of land and housing issues like the loss of affordable housing, displacement of residents, shifts in the local economy and lack of permanent jobs. A big reason the cost of housing increased was due to the office jobs taking over the industrial area and pushing those industries out from the city center. San Francisco went up to one of the most expensive cities to live in around this time. The city does not have much room to expand since it is on a peninsula, so new development here means the demolition and displacement of what was previously there, which is another main reason that housing prices are so high when people move to San
Francisco.
12 million people pay more than 50% of their income on housing, especially because from 2000 to 2014, the cost of living increased by 37% and the median household income increased 28% (Winderman, 2008). This is an obvious display that we need affordable housing in our country for our citizens in need. Affordable housing is good for the communities’ well-being as a whole. In order to tackle this affordable housing problem in the United States, Shaffer suggests that cities should make a housing plan that includes projects and programs to move forward, and should identify sites for new housing production, existing housing resources to preserve, rehabilitation programs and government assistance programs (2015). This means addressing zoning, approvals and permits, codes, affordability rates and planning requirements. To see these plans and programs put into action, we will look at two case studies: San Francisco and New York City. Both of these cities have large populations with both, highs and lows of their affordable housing policies. San Francisco is a city located in northern California on a peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay with a population of about 865,000 according to the 2015 estimated census.
It is a city nationally known for its best practices in housing and community development. Between the times of 1968-1978, this Californian city created community housing programs and policies and it has, for the most part, thrived under it since then. Before it was implemented, the city’s affordable housing stock consisted of public housing and federally funded housing development. A big factor in making a change prior to this program was the local citizens. They established attention of the government because they were sick of land and housing issues like the loss of affordable housing, displacement of residents, shifts in the local economy and lack of permanent jobs. A big reason the cost of housing increased was due to the office jobs taking over the industrial area and pushing those industries out from the city center. San Francisco went up to one of the most expensive cities to live in around this time. The city does not have much room to expand since it is on a peninsula, so new development here means the demolition and displacement of what was previously there, which is another main reason that housing prices are so high when people move to San
Francisco.