Thank you, JVL. I was never taught in high school civics the VITAL and fundamental role that affordable housing plays in maintaining a stable society in which households can achieve upward mobility. It was only when I started learning more about systemic racism and city planning and zoning decisions, as well as the history of how Black f…
Thank you, JVL. I was never taught in high school civics the VITAL and fundamental role that affordable housing plays in maintaining a stable society in which households can achieve upward mobility. It was only when I started learning more about systemic racism and city planning and zoning decisions, as well as the history of how Black farmers lost their generational wealth through losing their land and homes in various ways, that I started to connect home ownership with *everything else*. Then I did some communications work for an org in the Twin Cities that does RESEARCH and focuses on housing and I really learned how a little investment in affordable housing can prevent far greater costs to society down the road once a family loses its housing for any reason. The latter causes a downward spiral that has devastating effects all around. Giving struggling families a little support to KEEP their housing costs far less as a "safety net" versus dealing with a shelterless family once the housing is lost.
The problem with most "affordable housing" is that it ends up being subsidized government/nonprofit run rental housing where the poor are warehoused. As a result they are never given a chance at building generational wealth as suburban homeowners do.
Thank you, JVL. I was never taught in high school civics the VITAL and fundamental role that affordable housing plays in maintaining a stable society in which households can achieve upward mobility. It was only when I started learning more about systemic racism and city planning and zoning decisions, as well as the history of how Black farmers lost their generational wealth through losing their land and homes in various ways, that I started to connect home ownership with *everything else*. Then I did some communications work for an org in the Twin Cities that does RESEARCH and focuses on housing and I really learned how a little investment in affordable housing can prevent far greater costs to society down the road once a family loses its housing for any reason. The latter causes a downward spiral that has devastating effects all around. Giving struggling families a little support to KEEP their housing costs far less as a "safety net" versus dealing with a shelterless family once the housing is lost.
The problem with most "affordable housing" is that it ends up being subsidized government/nonprofit run rental housing where the poor are warehoused. As a result they are never given a chance at building generational wealth as suburban homeowners do.