[Vision2020] Affordable Housing Crisis Bearing Fruit

Wed Dec 3 23:05:38 PST 2008

Donovan,
Assume that you have the opportunity, and I suggest that you do have
the opportunity, to participate in a process of creating a [partial]
solution to Moscow's "affordable housing" crisis, what more do you
feel is needed to address the real needs?

Beyond the concept of 1/3 of a family income going towards rent, what
are they getting for their $500/mo?  What do they need to get?  Is
affordable housing about a roof over one's head, or should their be
social opportunities built-in as well?

Is $500 for 500sf affordable?  What about $500 for 1000sf + a
community center + garden space + private outdoor space + whatever?
Could you define your expectations more clearly?

Part of the issue is the question "What is missing?", but an equally
important part is "What is the Community willing to do to
participate?"  What value does the Community place on providing
affordable housing?  Apparently Moscow's Council feels it's worth
$15000-$40000 to do something towards it, and how far will that go?
I'm curious about what citizens are willing to do too.

Let me know your thoughts.

Mark

mark.r.seman.architect
   9 2 8 . 9 2 5 , 7 6 1 7
-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On Behalf Of Donovan Arnold
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 7:52 PM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com; Tom Hansen
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Affordable Housing Crisis Bearing Fruit

        I think the term "affordable housing" is a hoax and mostly a
fraud as most of Moscow's affordable housing is so restrictive or
expensive we have lots of empty apartments and units while still
having lots of people that are spending 50%+ of their income on
housing.

        It is mostly a scam for property owners and companies to get
subsizdies from the government without really providing anything of
benifiet to the community.

        My supposedly "subsidized" apartment in Moscow was $515 a
month. Tell me, please, how that is affortable housing in Moscow? I
can find unsubsidized apartments in Moscow for less than this. Why is
our government forking over taxpayer funds to apartments that charge
the market rate?

        Second, the requirements for housing are also extremely
restrictive, you have pull a Houdini to fit into the narrowly
described income bracket. If your income is a hair too much over
poverty you get disqualified. If it is too little, you cannot afford
the rent and you get disqualified. The apartments are $500 a month,
you must make $1500 to qualifity as affording the rent, but if you
make much over $1500, then you make too much to live there,
understand?

        Also, almost all of these places have a clause that you are
prevented from attending college full time and living in low income
housing (That is about 80% of Moscow's poor right there alone). Which
means you are stuck in low income housing because you cannot get a
better education for a better paying job.

        I personally think it is a violation of a persons rights to
forbid them from attending college if they live in low income housing.
Those are exactly the people that need better education for a better
job to get out of government funded housing (DUH!).

        In my opinion, the only legitimate low income housing are
those facilities that charge 1/3 of the family's gross income. If they
did that, only poor people would use them and it would be affortable
for everyone living there.

        Best Regards,

        Donovan

        --- On Wed, 12/3/08, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:

          From: Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com>
          Subject: [Vision2020] Affordable Housing Crisis Bearing
Fruit
          To: vision2020 at moscow.com
          Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 9:40 AM

Proof once again that some peoples' concerns extend beyond corporate
America's bottom-line.

Right on queue with Moscow . . .

http://moscowcares.com/120108_FairAffordHsgCommFundReq.htm

---------------------------------------------------------

>From today's (December 3, 2008) Spokesman Review -

-------------------

Affordable housing crisis bearing fruit
Rebecca Nappi
Staff writer
December 3, 2008

The displacement of low-income residents two summers ago by upscale
developments in downtown Spokane became a civic emergency. Meanwhile,
the
region's business leaders, especially those in North Idaho, were
brainstorming ways to house lower-income workers who support the
region's
tourism.

The real estate boom that forced some from their homes seemed
unstoppable.
But stop it did: Monday, the country was officially declared in a
recession. The boom became a bust.

But good news surfaced at Tuesday's annual meeting of the Spokane Low
Income Housing Consortium. The affordable housing crisis of 2007
forced
the region's best housing experts to work together on solutions. They
are
now committed to sharing resources, and they plan to lobby together
for
increasingly limited state and federal housing funds.

"The infrastructure is in place now to deal with this crisis," said
Cindy
Algeo, executive director of the consortium. It is estimated that 400
units must come online every year for 10 years to meet the region's
affordable housing needs.

Within the next few months, plans will be announced to meet that
demand:

•On Dec. 17, a regional affordable-housing task force will present its
final recommendations for addressing low-income housing. Among its
expected recommendations: Ten percent of all new housing in the region
should be set aside for affordable housing.

•At the end of January, a regional 10-year plan to reduce homelessness
will be completed. One expected strategy will be to get homeless
people in
permanent housing as quickly as possible, reducing time in
transitional
housing.

None of the housing experts Tuesday downplayed the challenges.

"People are skittish," Algeo said. "There isn't much
incentive for
investors. It's very challenging to put together financing for
low-income
housing."

---------------------------------------------------------

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"For a lapse Lutheran born-again Buddhist pan-Humanist Universalist
Unitarian Wiccan Agnostic like myself there's really no reason ever to
go
to work."

- Roy Zimmerman

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