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July 15, 2006
Affordable Housing Has a Cancer
By Marna
Smeltzer
President/CEO
 We
Americans are famous for taking on causes—the bigger
the better and location doesn’t matter. Problems are
never to complex, barriers for success can be
overcome, and winning is always possible because we
are smarter than most and more creative than all. If
that is really true why isn’t affordable housing on
the top of our collective list of challenges to
overcome? I think the answer is one word, apathy!
Any definition of apathy boils down to lack of
passion to do anything or to respond emotionally.
Why apathy towards housing? It is rather simple; the
“haves” outweigh the “have-nots”. More homeowners
have invested much earlier and now are sitting on a
gold mine that makes their balance sheet look quite
nice. Few homeowners really have concern for the
rest because it doesn’t directly affect them.
Apathy!
Experts on the subject point out all kinds of
solutions are possible if certain conditions change.
Politicians push for changing public policy and
introduce public funding schemes. Developers and the
real estate industry work hard every day to sidestep
all the regulations and ordnances that stand in
their way of changing the housing landscape. The
press blares out front page headlines about the
rising values of existing homes in our neighborhoods
while holding virtual silence on the problem it is
causing for the future of all residents and
businesses.
Change, real change never happens until there is a
desire for change that makes status quo completely
untenable. Complete unrest and dissatisfaction must
exist to fuel the energy it takes to make change
happen. Apathy is the enemy of change—it is a cancer
that will lead to personal and public economic
bankruptcy.
An overstatement you say? History is a teacher, if
anyone wants to observe lessons from the past. Why
did the feudal system fail? Here you had a few
people of wealth that had been established for
years, even generations ignoring the squalor their
subjects were forced to endure. They had their
comfortable castle and estates and the plight of
those that wanted a better life, including housing,
were ignored. What happened? The have-nots overthrew
the haves. There are few functional castles in
today’s housing market. History can repeat.
We have to change our views and understanding of
affordable housing. It is no longer acceptable to
sit in out castles and count our equity growth. The
residents of our communities have to first
understand that lacking affordable housing for new
families, incoming workers, those with fixed
incomes, and yes, the homeless is a threat to the
economic well-being of our community. Educate
yourself on how vitality in any neighborhood is
dependent upon housing that can be afforded by every
economic layer. Armed with knowledge, apathy can be
overcome and real change will be born on the
affordable housing front.
Click here
to contact the Redondo Beach Chamber
for more
information
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