Truth vs. lies in the Housing Crisis
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by James Tracy The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently released |
Never mind that the crisis is hardly accidental. Many local and state
governments have eliminated or weakened rent control. Public housing demolitions
have eliminated over 23,000 housing units nationally. The expiration of
HUD Section 8 contracts threatens 2.1 million homes. Lack of a housing
safety net for those most in need pushes everyone's rents up by eliminating
supply and increasing competition for scarce resources. In cities flooded
with the "dot.com" money these decisions spell eviction.
Hoping to counteract nearly a decade of cuts in U.S. housing spending,
the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has proposed an innovative
solution - the Community Housing Investment Trust (CHIT). This legislation
will create and subsidize one million units of housing that is affordable
to families and individuals whose annual incomes are less than $10,700
per year. Current federal housing programs primarily aid households whose
incomes are between $20,000 to $60,000 per year.
Nationally, there are at least 11.3 million households with incomes of
less than $10,000. Personal-based Section 8 vouchers are useless in every
area where demand for housing is high and vacancy rates are low. Landlords
usually take the opportunity to rent to higher-income, non-subsidized
tenants.
This federal resource pool allows local communities to develop, acquire,
rehabilitate or subsidize housing units. This means that cities can meet
the specific needs of their area CHIT would be funded from the interest
from existing federal bonds, meaning that no one's taxes will be increased
automatically. Individual taxpayers would be able to make contributions
to CHIT by checking off a box on their income taxes. The legislation also
provides for matching funds from private institutions maximizing the $50
billion federal contribution.
Housing shortages are nothing new in San Francisco, or in any market
economy. At the end of World War II, returning service people faced a
severe housing crisis that even the New Deal had failed to address completely.
The International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union led actions - including
office occupations and work stoppages - to force federal representatives
to build new affordable housing. Their accomplishments include many of
the same housing programs that are being dismantled by Democrats and Republicans
today.
This campaign is an important step in the fight for housing and other
crucial social needs. Although homelessness is a complicated problem,
its leading remedy should be embarrassingly simple: more housing. New
housing can also create jobs and further social stability.
To endorse the Community Housing Investment Trust and get active in the
campaign please contact James Tracy, Coalition on Homelessness Housing
Workgroup (415) 346-3740.