REPORT: 4 in 5 facing near poverty in the US
Is this for real ? Yes it is, and the lack of affordable housing is a huge contributing factor. The investors rule the housing market, and they expect nice hefty profits.
Housing is a human requirement, and not a luxury. Demand action. Stay informed.
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I have been MIA with other obligations, and Facebook & Twitter is where I post most updates, but I am back, with a newly redesigned web site, sans the graphics:
Small houses, tiny houses, micro-housing, and other types of affordable housing, are gaining in popularity, with recommendations that HUD approve of small houses and small house communities as one answer to homelessness.
The small house movement continues to grow with leaps and bounds, and real progress is beginning to happen, as people are demanding housing choices besides large expensive cookie cutter houses with high taxes and utility bills.
Additionally, the poverty rate is skyrocketing, with more of our fellow citizens facing homelessness and poverty because they cannot afford a place to live.
Homeless Veterans, Families, Seniors
Here is a summary of what’s new in the small house movement:
From our friends at Tiny House Talk:
City council eliminates zoning codes to allow small houses:
Small House Community In Colorado
Tent City Urbanism shares their year in review, with news about other small house communities popping up across America:
Square One Villages also has some great news to share, and they will supply the resources needed to set up a community near you:
We must demand choices in housing, as housing is a human requirement and right, and not a luxury reserved for those with stellar credit and high incomes. One answer to homelessness is small houses, affordable, and easy to construct and retrofit for solar energy.
For the latest news, visit my Facebook Page: Live Green 4 Less
Regular updates, with links to other small house sites and pages.
Pinterest: Live Green 4 Less Small Houses And Cottages, features photos and building plans.
The lack of affordable housing has created a public aid nightmare for one state, and their governor has come up with this novel idea to help end homelessness:
Make it harder for people to receive housing vouchers for hotel and motel housing. Direct them instead to homeless shelters and rental assistance programs and like magic, the problem disappears ! Absolutely brilliant idea, except homeless shelters are filled and rental assistance programs are either tapped out financially or there is a lengthy wait time.
So what becomes of these Americans ?
Small affordable housing is the answer to many problems facing our society, so why isn’t affordable housing being built ?
The banks and builders say affordable housing is not profitable.
Profits over people is what has created so much homelessness, and we must demand housing as a human necessity and affordable housing be built for the common good.
Making It Harder On The Homeless
#AffordableHousing
There you have it, in black and white. Adult kids living in their parent’s basement because they are jobless and/or lower wage earners priced right out of the rental market.
In some cases, mom and/or dad are the basement dwellers in the houses of their adult kids who often times have families of their own. You see, mom and dad cannot afford the high rents either.
Ah, but don’t feel sad or remorseful for too long because there is some really good news for the investors, and that is they are profiting handsomely in the rental market, so all is not lost, and the investors have a word of wise for all those jobless basement dwellers: think positive and maybe someday if you get a high paying job, you may actually escape from your subterranean home away from home and into one of their high priced rentals.
So where is the affordable housing and why is it not being built ?
The reason is because, according to the bankers and investors, it’s not profitable. This current arrangement of price gouging while creating eternal everlasting basement dwellers is working out quite well for them.
Color this unacceptable. We must demand housing as a human necessity.
#AffordableHousing
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-kids-in-basements-underemployment-20150918-story.html
The Perfect Small House Design
Ideal for single occupancy or a couple but might be cramped for more than 2 occupants, a small affordable house,such as this featured house, would fill a huge void created by out of control housing costs which has impacted those who can least afford it.
This social crisis can no longer be ignored:
Lower Income Workers Have Nowhere To Live
Small affordable houses will help solve this crisis but, according to the banks and builders, small affordable houses are not profitable.
Our government has an obligation to assist in solving this enormous problem, as per the US Constitution ” for the common good ”
Hot Off The Press: Cottages For Homeless People In Dallas Will Save Taxpayers About $1.3 Million
Communities of small houses are beginning to spring up all over the United States in response to the need for affordable housing.
Tent City Urbanism covers community land trusts quite well in it’s latest article, which addresses the crisis of a lack of affordable housing for too many Americans. Check out their terrific web site for more information.
Housing is a human requirement and not a luxury reserved for those with perfect credit scores and high income levels. Affordable housing is not being built because, according to the banks and builders, it’s not profitable.
Meanwhile, working people, senior citizens, homeless veterans, and those who have fallen on hard times, are facing homelessness. Many already are.
This is a social crisis which must be addressed by the government.
Not profitable.
That pretty much summarizes the reason we do not see small affordable priced homes being constructed.
Never mind that housing is a necessity and America’s new wages do not allow for even a modest apartment rental, but if you qualify, which you likely won’t any, based upon your income, the builder and bankers have already picked out your brand new house whether it’s what you really want or not.
Your brand new house will likely be 1800 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 ceramic baths, an attached 2+ car garage and a partial basement. Your mortgage payment will be amortized over 30 years and if you last that long, you will have paid 4 times the purchase price of the house in juice alone back to the bank.
What if, one the other hand, you wanted a more sustainable lifestyle and not a lot of debt. What if you wanted a small house of 200 square feet with a porch. Shouldn’t you be able to obtain a home like that if you choose without restrictions put into place to make banks and builders more profitable ?
Everyone needs a place to live. The high cost of rentals and housing is contributing to homelessness and poverty.
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