Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Low Income Housing

[Jerry McIntire (jerry.mcintire]

Thanks Sharon. Pointed and incisive. I too think income inequality must
change, and that the current affordable and low income subsidies don't
address the problem in a fundamental way.

My analysis: we need to work together, and sociocracy is a great tool for
that. Opening hearts to use new tools is the work of compassionate and
diligent thinkers. For me that's where prayer comes in. The only way to
soften hearts is through softening our own.

All the best,

Jerry McIntire

On Fri, Sep 25, 2015 at 10:21 AM, Sharon Villines <sharon [at] 
sharonvillines.com
> wrote:

>
> Reminder about affordable vs low income. They are different things. 80% of
> market rate is still out of the range of millions of people who need
> housing.
>
> Zillows mortgage rate calculator:
>
> http://www.zillow.com/mortgage-calculator/house-affordability/
>
> According to Zillow a family of four earning twice the poverty level, ~
> $50,000 a year, IF they have a $20,000 downpayment and can cover the
> closing costs ($4,000?), can afford to mortgage a house costing $195,000.
>
> I doubt if many families of four earning $50,000 a year have $24,000 just
> sitting around ready to use. Some cities, like DC have had programs from
> time to time in which they paid the downpayment for first time homebuyers
> who qualified. The programs vary in details but that might make it possible
> in some cities at some time.
>
> But even this level excludes those earning less than $50,000 a year. This
> requires a whole different paradigm.
>
> Having some low income units in a varied income community, means the top
> earners are subsidizing the lowest earners. Why does anyone have to live in
> a subsidy? Why does anyone want to be subsidizing an unknown neighbor? This
> works if people know and trust each other but I haven’t seen it work when
> people don’t. It’s the long term issues that David Mandel mentioned that
> make this unworkable. Housing is “permanent”, not I’ll give you $100 this
> month. It’s $100 every month as long as you and your neighbor live there.
>
> We need a model that reduces income inequality — not one that allows it to
> continue. Land trusts, etc., do not correct. They just blunt the effects
> for a few people and the programs themselves become a support for a badly
> managed economic system. They keep it limping along.
>
> Everything everyone has said is true. But none of it solves any problems.
> How much low income cohousing has resulted from discussions of land trusts?
>
> All the plans in the world to “require” some homes to be sold for 80% of
> market value probably cost more to administer than just giving people the
> money for down-payments. We need a new system and to think differently.
> Thinking sociocratically would fundamentally change the way we approach
> social problems.
>
> Sharon
> ----
> Sharon Villines, Washington DC
>
> Logic will get you from A to B.  Imagination will take you everywhere.
>
>
>
>
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