StudentEssay Preview: StudentReport this essayRunning head: AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVOCATESAffordable Housing AdvocatesJaniece SasserUniversity of PhoenixAffordable Housing AdvocatesCalifornia prohibits discrimination in all aspects of the housing business. Discrimination is the deliberate differentiation between groups of people based on religion, sex, ethnicity, sexual preference, disability, educational level and age. Unfortunately, there is a special population that is not actively included in this preventative policy. Low income and working families are not given obligatory accommodations in federal and local policy that guarantees their ability to secure a modest home or apartment at a reasonable rate. “The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to ending Americas affordable housing crisis. We believe that this is achievable, that the affordable housing crisis is a problem that Americans are capable of solving. While we are concerned about the housing circumstances of all low income people, we focus our advocacy on those with the most serious housing problems, the lowest income households (National Low Income Housing Coalition [NLIHC], 2006)”.
Affordable housing in our state is few and far between. There are several working families and persons with disabilities that are qualified for help by merely looking at their payroll stubs; however they do not meet all requirements mandated for admittance into such housing assistance programs. According to a report released by the NLIHC and another advocacy group called Housing California, “Across the nation a household must earn $17.32 per hour to meet just the basic housing needs but in California, the second most expensive rental market, a wage of $24.01 per hour is needed (Housing California, 2007)”. Families are becoming homeless because their paychecks are not in sync with rising rent costs.
According to Housing California, the state of California loses many residents regularly to states who maintain a more evenhanded housing market. Our current housing market is comparable to a supermarket that sells only filet mignon and caviar; it is an extremely exclusive market. The supporters of Housing California claim that our housing market is broken and it fails to accommodate the varied needs of the population. Families that are looking to purchase a home in San Joaquin County are falling short of the median income needed to maintain their households by almost $40,000. In neighboring Stanislaus County the deficit between ideal incomes to housing expenses is almost $33,000. Proponents of affordable housing say that in order to change
the system the county has to establish or expand housing supply. A public program is set up to provide for the distribution of housing among families.
To help address the affordability crisis, California has created the Healthy Housing initiative to provide affordable housing. More than 50,000 families will be eligible for HUD affordable housing assistance. An additional 25,000 families will be encouraged to join Healthy Housing Initiative programs.
The Healthy Housing Initiative helps address a serious affordability crisis in California. California is home to over 25 million residents that are under five dollars per year in debt, so they are unable to build and support their families. As an example, one in five of California’s residents have no income at all. Yet the Department of Housing and Community Development provides $1.7 billion a year in government assistance to assist California families that face the most serious affordability crisis in their communities. An additional $1.3 billion in federal aid to help stabilize housing will only do just that. This is because only a limited number of families in Los Angeles, Orange and Contra Costa counties can afford to purchase affordable housing, so as a result, only a small number of families in San Mateo, Napa and Sacramento counties in the state can afford housing.
The Healthy Housing Initiative has been adopted in Los Angeles County, San Diego County, San Mateo, Napa and Marin counties in California and the Santa Barbara County District, which includes San Francisco Bay.
Los Angeles County has experienced the greatest number of households under 5 dollars per year; it is also the most affordable city in the state. We need to ensure that California’s affordable housing stock is stable. In fact, we currently have more than 5,500 households in need. We need to increase housing supply with a high-quality rental community building or construction of more affordable housing. But for every dollar a household receives, they don’t receive any more housing. Housing is expensive.
San Francisco is home to over 100,000 homes in need, and over 90% of these homes are in one of the most affordable ZIP codes in the nation. The only way to solve this crisis is for Housing California to develop and equip communities with the necessary resources to meet the demands of the long-term affordability crisis that will require additional housing supply. We must address the short-term affordability crisis in San Francisco by building affordable housing. Build Affordable Housing Is the Answer: Housing Is the Solution: The City of San Francisco is well placed to work together with the federal government to protect and stabilize Los Angeles’ affordable housing stock.
In an increasingly dangerous environment where public transportation systems and other federal dollars are running out, affordable housing in Los Angeles will be the solution. The Housing program will take care of housing for all residents within the city of Los Angeles, and at every turn will provide