THE HISTORY AND PRESENT STATE OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX IN AMERICA CAN BE SUMMED UP IN ONE WORD: BROKEN #HOMELESSNESS IS THE RESULT OF DECADES OF THE FAILURE TO BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR ALL. DON'T BE FOOLED BY SLICK PROMOTIONAL POSTS THAT MAKE IT SEEM LIKE YOUR LOCAL, STATE OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS ARE SOLVING THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS. WHEN IT COMES TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THE PUBLIC AND TAXPAYERS MUST ASK: AT WHAT COST TO THE TAXPAYERS AND HOW LONG IS THE AFFORDABILITY PERIOD? EVERY TAXPAYER SHOULD BE ASKING THEIR ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: 1. How much local, state, and federal funding, tax credits, density bonus increase, waivers of impact fees, or other government benefit or incentive did the project receive? 2. What is the affordability period for each project and, if the affordability period is not in perpetuity or permanent, WHY NOT? 3. What guarantees exist that tenants in the affordable housing units will not be displaced after an "affordability period expires? Any LOCAL, STATE or FEDERAL official that does not MANDATE "permanent" affordability periods or affordability "IN PERPETUITY" for any project receiving some government benefit is commiting MALFEASANCE and should quit, be removed from office or be terminated. IN MOST CASES WHEN IT COMES TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING, the public and taxpayer are being fooled into thinking their elected and appointed officials are solving problems, when in fact, all hey have done is "KICK THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD" to burden a future generation with the same problem or crisis!
LIVE: Our Rural Communities Senior Director Robin Davey Wolff will testify next Tuesday April 16 at 10 am ET on Challenges in Preserving the U.S. Housing Stock before the Senate's Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development. Robin leads our rural preservation work, conducting regional academies and providing one-on-one technical assistance to help save a rapidly diminishing housing stock. She joins Jesse Ergott, President and CEO of NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania and Christopher Volzke, MBA, Deputy Executive Director of Wyoming Community Development Authority. Watch the live hearing: https://bit.ly/4aNH6V0
