This week, Mr B did not go to Washington. But 400 or so Habitat colleagues, partner families, community activists and other affordable housing advocates did.
The annual “Habitat on the Hill” event is an opportunity to meet with federal legislators and their staffs. While, like politics, housing is very much local, the federal government has a huge impact on housing, through regulation, tax policy and funding. Connecting federal policy to local issues is an important part of the dialogue that occurs. Each Habitat affiliate has an opportunity to meet with their elected representatives in their offices. As a first-timer in the halls of Congress last year, I can personally attest to the powerful effect of meeting face-to-face in the Capitol.
These meetings also give us an opportunity to humanize the issues surrounding the housing affordability crisis. Often there are Habitat families in these meetings, who personally describe the impact of homeownership on their lives. We had such a meeting at our offices in December with our local congressman, and it proved very helpful for our partner family as well as the representative.
Advocacy — the direct engagement with stakeholders to communicate and agitate for change in the status quo — is a powerful tool. It is also a challenge for small organizations, especially a loose confederation like Habitat operations to engage in effectively. Our umbrella organization, Habitat for Humanity International, has made gains in providing a more effective structure of support at the national, state and local levels.
Locally, we have seen a gratifying amount of progress in building a more effective network of support for housing issues. This includes the formation of an Affordable Housing Task Force, the hiring of (a very effective) county housing coordinator, and a number of municipal efforts to remedy some of the structural issues, including planning, zoning, and taxation reforms.
While progress is being made, the tangible impact is frustratingly small, and gradual; a drop in a huge ocean of need.
The reluctance of many communities to endorse or embrace “affordable housing” is still prevalent, and is mostly driven by misinformation and fear.
I have been “on the road” continually over the past year, speaking before local, state, and national gatherings about the housing crisis in our communities, especially rural ones, and outlining what can be done to produce more affordable housing.
Often, the first question asked is: “who needs affordable housing?” Many times, it is asked as a challenge, as if to question the validity of the premise that we need more housing.
The answer to that question is, literally, everyone. Because no one needs unaffordable housing.
Sure, some may want and be able to purchase very (very) expensive homes, and hats off to them. But for most of the population looking for housing, it’s not the reality and hence, not the right question.
The question we should be asking is: who can afford the housing we have now?
That answer, increasingly, is very (very) few. Median income families in the Hudson Valley are facing a “mortgage affordability gap” of between $110,000 and $280,000*. Only high-earning, and asset-rich people can afford to purchase homes in most areas. The new developments that are allowed, are priced mostly at the higher end of the housing market.
The rental situation is no better, from an income standpoint. Housing in the Hudson Valley is simply out of reach for the many. Many of our neighboring states do a much better job than we do in NY.
The NY housing market is fundamentally broken. For the small, rural and aging areas that comprise “upstate” New York (especially those with gentrifying urban enclaves), this situation is nothing short of looming disaster, socially, culturally and economically.
Pressing for change must continue. Making change — showing how it can be done — is how it will happen.
We’ve got some new things on tap. Stay tuned.