Property owners, would you be ok with "affordable housing" in your neighborhood?

Originally posted by FortAnthem


Why does everybody associate "affordable housing" with drugs, crime and minorities?

I would love for someone to build affordable housing in my area. All that seems to go up anymore are those goddamn McMansions that nobody that I know personally can afford. I still can't figure how there can be such a huge marked for those damned things. Who makes enough money to buy a $800,000 house?

They need to start building small, humble single family homes like they did before the huge housing boom. Something the average, middle class worker can afford. Affordable housing means to me that normal, everyday people can afford to buy the houses. It just doesn't seem that there's a market for building them anymore.

By affordable housing I mean housing where the government pays for you to live there. Totally different thing than what you are talking about. Yes the affordable housing I am talking about does attract the things you've posted.

Originally posted by mayabong

By affordable housing I mean housing where the government pays for you to live there. Totally different thing than what you are talking about. Yes the affordable housing I am talking about does attract the things you've posted.

If the housing market would go back to building homes for under $200,000 then people probably wouldn't need government assistance to buy housing so much.

You could bet that, if someone were to propose such a development for people starting out in life, the big McMansion types would fight against it just as much as they fight against Section 8 housing. They want to live in their protected little enclaves away from the unwashed masses who should be kept in their flea-infested apartment dwellings far from where "decenf folk" live.

Another problem with Section 8 housing is that they have such huge racial quotas most white people don't even bother to apply. If I could get into a Section 8 house, I would jump at the opportunity. Unfortunately, I have the wrong complection.

The government should focus less on trying to integrate the races and more on providing affordable homes to whoever needs a hand up. If whites were just as eligable for Section 8 as minorities, there would probably be a lot less resentment to their presence near their communities. People see the basic unfairness in government policies and that is a huge part of the resentment.

The government shouldn't play social engeneering games when it comes to affordable housing. They should make it available to whoever is in need, regardless of their skin color or lack of pigmentation.

reply to post by mayabong

It seems when it comes to property value, even the most liberal non-racist, "diversity is our strength" person will totally do a 180 when it comes down to Section 8 housing on their street or closeby.

Fundamental liberalism is an belief system that is supposed to be ever expanding and imposing upon others. It was never really meant to be followed by anyone other than a few people at Starbucks. So when it gets picked up by a larger population, fundamentalist liberals either have to change their belief system or accept the fact that their ideals only work if they are being forced upon others or just being used to make someone else sound more bad than they are.
Also worth reading
www.thenextright.com...

People think they are to good for
it but all it takes is the right turmoil, crisis, or situation
and you might FIND YOURELF in affordable section
8 housing. Be careful when you tell the misfortunate to
screw off you might be walking in there shoes one day

Originally posted by popsmayhem
People think they are to good for
it but all it takes is the right turmoil, crisis, or situation
and you might FIND YOURELF in affordable section
8 housing. Be careful when you tell the misfortunate to
screw off you might be walking in there shoes one day

So I am supposed to stay silent if my once quiet peaceful neighborhood, is now full of loud music at 7 am, robberies, and gunshots going off every once in a while, just cause I might be in that situation one day? Just cause the government thinks diversity is a good thing?

Originally posted by AnIntellectualRedneck
I don't care so much for property values and more for the fact that section 8 seems to bring with it a lot of criminal activity. Now, if you get a place where things are actually managed and they have rules about decency and stuff like where my sister lives, then I'm cool with it. But that's just not the case in a lot of cases.

This. I live in a "plantation neighborhood" here in SC, meaning a mid-to-upper middle class planned community with covenants, and we have plenty of black people. I live next door to the nicest single black mom you could ever meet, and right across the street from the nicest black State Trooper you'd ever want to be pulled over by. We're crawling with black people, and no crime besides the random bored teenagers going through unlocked cars (because no one locks anything here). I wouldn't mind people of any color moving in to housing that met our covenant specifications, and which fit in to our neighborhood tone: sit on a front porch, not on the street corner; take pride in your house's appearance; drop by little cookies or candies during the holidays; take a walk, not a wander; dress with pride, not in your pajamas; etc. I see people of all colors doing these things here in SC, so it has nothing to do with race. It's everything to do with self-respect. I don't want a bunch of career welfarers living in my neighborhood, but I will gladly open my arms to respectable people needing a hand up.

We have low income housing in my neighborhood and have had no problems. Rule is you have to have a job $800 -$1500 per month. First and last months plus $1000 utility deposit. Everythings fine here

Originally posted by mayabong

Originally posted by popsmayhem
People think they are to good for
it but all it takes is the right turmoil, crisis, or situation
and you might FIND YOURELF in affordable section
8 housing. Be careful when you tell the misfortunate to
screw off you might be walking in there shoes one day

So I am supposed to stay silent if my once quiet peaceful neighborhood, is now full of loud music at 7 am, robberies, and gunshots going off every once in a while, just cause I might be in that situation one day? Just cause the government thinks diversity is a good thing?

Oh, come on, not all section 8 housing is prostetution, drugs, and gun shots
going off at any time. I hear freaking lawn mowers going* off* at 7am
just as bad as loud music, and if there is a noise complaint the police will
take care of it. Getting bent out of shape for nothing.
There is a need for more section 8 housing, hell they spend
billions in military trillions, but can't help out the people HERE AT HOME?
SEND BILLIONS TO THE ENEMY BUT CAN'T HELP OUT THE PEOPLE
HERE? THAT SHOULD BE THE OUTRAGE!

Hi all.

Not sure what this section 8 thing is, but in the UK, any new housing development is duty bound to have a percentage available as affordable homes. Either via housing associations, or part buy part rent. Probably other means as well.

The down side is always that, if you have not sunk your money in a property, you are probably disinclined to spend on upkeep.

This was the main reason that high rise, multiple home developments (Flats) have had to be pulled down. A private block of owned flats, becomes desirable, the "affordable" flats exactly the opposite.

Well obviously if I paid $100k for a house and then section 8 housing moved in across the street and my home value dropped to $80k I'd be upset. Who wouldn't be? Has nothing to do with race since poor people come in every color.

reply to post by mayabong


Experienced what first hand? Section 8 housing? Crime in general? Poverty in general? I've experienced all three. Believe me when I say being poor in America is hell. I do not advocate crime nor am I am criminal but to understand crime you must understand social needs...

All poor people aren't criminals. The REAL criminals are actually incredibly wealthy.

But hey why don't we just take all of those pesky poor people that "NEED" things, and just herd them into one large work town that way they'll produce for but never bother the obviously superior more wealthy people who evidently never commit crimes or bother others.

reply to post by newcovenant

Originally posted by newcovenant

Originally posted by fictitious
Would I be okay? NO.

I've worked hard to make enough money to be able to live where I live. We all know the crime rates in areas like that. Fully integrate society?? No thanks. Everyone was born different for a reason. I happened to rise up and get out of the "ghetto". I don't want it coming to me.

edit on 4-4-2012 by fictitious because: (no reason given)

What if you were kept from using the beaches because they were reserved for the wealthy?

Would that class distinction be OK with you? If you can prevent someone poorer than you from occupying your neighborhood there will indeed come a day when you are kept off the beach.

I'm perfectly cool with that. Where I live you have to PAY to go to nice beaches already. Seems like it works out fine. If you don't want to pay, go to the one with seaweed everywhere...same water.

Originally posted by mayabong
would you be ok with your property values plummeting for the sake of diversity?

No. It's insane to mix neighborhoods like that. Economically it makes no sense.
Property is an investment. You want your investment to hold because, when you are
older and on a limited income, you will need every penny you can get.

Side note - property values have slipped due to the housing bubble busting ... they've slipped
so much here that probably everything in our neighborhood is 'affordable housing' for most
folks now.

reply to post by greeneyedleo


I lived in Phoenix at the height of the housing boom, when they couldn't put up subdivisions fast enough.

The houses were so cheap, that Calinfornias were buying them like crazy and then would rent them out.

then you have the problem that you mentioned.

So Arizona passed a law that if you buy the house, you have to live in it for a year.

Originally posted by boot2theface

Fully integrate society?? No thanks.

Yeah, because when we're all separated and competing things get better for everyone right?

reply to post by boot2theface


We are MORE integrated now than in the history of the united states. You want Utopia! This is not attainable. Not because everyone doesn't think its great-because its in our dna to seperate ourselves. Even the same species of bird from Ohio doesn't want to group up with the flock from Montana.

We are a nation of more more more. When will we ever be content??? Sometimes it is good to let things be.

Originally posted by fictitious

Originally posted by boot2theface

Fully integrate society?? No thanks.

Yeah, because when we're all separated and competing things get better for everyone right?

reply to post by boot2theface

 

We are MORE integrated now than in the history of the united states. You want Utopia! This is not attainable. Not because everyone doesn't think its great-because its in our dna to seperate ourselves. Even the same species of bird from Ohio doesn't want to group up with the flock from Montana.

We are a nation of more more more. When will we ever be content??? Sometimes it is good to let things be.

Your post reminded me of this.

reply to post by mayabong


Since when did affordable housing become about racial integration?

Affordable housing in my community is subsidized by the other houses that are built in the neighborhood. So, every new subdivision has to have a certain percentage of houses that are considered affordable. Usually these houses are sold for less then you can buy a lot to build on. The builders have to increase the price on other lots/houses to subsidize these affordable units.

The city is involved in screening the people that can purchase these affordable units. You have to have very specific incomes in order to purchase one of these affordable units. It's very hard to qualify because you have to have a low income but it has to be high enough to get a loan, so there is a very narrow range of incomes that qualify. I don't know of issues with the units that people purchase.

We do have issues with the section 8 housing. Those are apartments where the local welfare agency guarantees part or all of the rent to the landlord. Typically you see the police out in these areas disproportionately compared to areas where there is no section 8 rentals.

Personally, I don't want section 8 people in my neighborhood. They are on welfare for a reason. With the current economic issues, there may be some people who find themselves on welfare but as soon as the economy picks up, I'm pretty sure they will once again be employed. It's not skin color that I care about, it's your approach to life.

I say no, where i live used to be really nice, clean and quite. about 15 years ago they moved a whole lot of section 8 housing in my area, all i can say it's a real crap hole now.

The main problem start when they overdo it and collect all "affordable housing" in just one area. I think things would be better if it was spread out instead of giant apartment complexes filled with low income apartments.