Policy Issue: Affordable Housing
1. Write a summary of your policy issue that includes the policy or policy issue. (5pts)
The policy issue that I will be covering is Affordable housing. Housing policy primary focus should be to provide decent,secure, and affordable homes for the whole population. The Housing Act of 1949 acknowledged the need for a “decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family. The issue is the relationship between the economy and the housing market. Lack of funds from the government, and the increase in the cost of living. There are many programs set in place to combat this issue, but due to the severity of the issue and minimum funds those programs cannot run efficiently to the goal of the housing policy which is to provide decent housing in a decent neighborhood compromising safety and security. Housing policy is extremely important because the most powerful economy in the world is driven by the housing sector and the housing sector can destroy it.
The U.S department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) helps Americans find affordable housing. According to the text, the nation's public housing supply had diminished, and the government has yet to fund public housing since 1994. In addition to the dwindling of funds the federal government has not even recovered demolished homes. The housing Choice Voucher also known as section 8 is now the main approach to assisting very low-income families and individuals.
2. How are stakeholders affected by this issue? In other words, what populations or other entities are affected by or contributing to this issue and how are they affected? How may this issue be affecting populations specific to Florida?(15pts)
Primary Stakeholders include:
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...reaping much benefits to continue to do so. If so much paperwork was eliminated and replaced with maybe technology or even simplicity then applicants will complete required efficiently in a timely manner and workers will not be so overloaded with mere paper work.
The system need more organization implemented as well because there has been countless times where information that was initially provided needed to be sent over again. If that is adopted then these grants will come in a timely manner and fund critical programs.
There should be a program that helps people pay their down payment on a home. Many Americans unfortunately cannot get into a home they can afford monthly simply because they cannot afford the down payment.
Increase the distribution of funding by local governments for affordable housing, by developing different techniques to reap a max funding.
In the Late nineteenth century the population was growing at a rapid pace. The country had people flooding the biggest cities in the country such as New York City and Chicago. These populations were gaining more and more people every single year and the country has to do something to make places for these people to live. The government would go on to create urban housing programs. These programs were created to make homes for these people to live in. At the time it provided a place for people to live but as the populations grew it became a more cramped and rundown area because of the large populations in one place. These reforms eventually led to these areas becoming dangerous, they were rundown, and it created a hole that was difficult for people to get out of.
Some of the federal programs that are in place to address the low-income housing needs include public housing, which is subsidized by public funds, along with rental assistance through the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). The Housing Choice Voucher Program provides low-income families with a voucher to help pay for a portion of their rent. In order to receive a voucher, the household must make less than a specified amount given the number of individuals contributing to income. Section 8, along with other federal programs tend to lack the funding necessary to support low-income housing needs. These programs are in place to help facilitate affordable housing for "people who are at great risk of falling through the
Hutton-Woodland, M. (2013). Florida Action Coalition proud recipient of a SIP Grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Retrieved from http://campaignforaction.org/state/florida
What are the goals of the Housing First policy? Homelessness is an issue in multiple communities, more than half the homeless people have problems with finding and keeping a stable home environment because of substance abuse or job loss. The Housing First model helps women transition to housing and creates a path out of homelessness. The Housing First model helps connect homeless women with appropriate in-patient or out-patient professional supports, but their program is not being contingent on their sobriety. The vast majority of people who drink or use drugs- including those who use recreationally and those who meet criteria for substance abuse disorders deem stably housed.
In contrast to popular assumption, discrimination in public housing is becoming more prevalent than ever before. Testing done by the Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston has found that today people of color are discriminated against in nearly half of their efforts to buy, sell, finance, or rent property (“1968-Present Housing Discrimination). The statistics are even worse when considering colored people who have families as the testing found that they are discriminated against approximately two thirds of the time (“1968-Present Housing Discrimination”) In addition to facing great difficulty in property affairs, people of color are less likely to be offered residence in desirable locations. 86 percent of revitalized
This housing affordability crisis is stripping away it’s diversity at increasing rates and I feel that not enough is being done to restore it. Liz Pfeffer article “Is the Bay Area in a Housing Bubble or a Crisis?” describes the situation as, “San Francisco’s chronic problem is a lack of housing for middle and lower-income people. It’s not that they can’t afford it, it’s that it doesn’t exist”. Officials should collaborate on creating solutions to the root causes and offer alternatives that would release some of the pressure. I would suggest promoting micro-homes or smaller scaled homes, limiting foreign investors’s purchases of single-family homes, or expanding campuses of employers to areas that are not heavily populated. It is not too late to restore the balance but it will take collaboration and team work. I am urging these officials and activists to try and save the beloved culture of this area and help retain it as a place where social justice is recognized and
Compare and contrast the ways in which housing inequalities are discussed from the perspectives of social policy and criminology, and economics (TMA 02)
Now the HUD-VASH, also known as Housing of Urban Development, is now partnering with Veterans Affairs, or the VA, under their Supporting Housing program. The HUD gives out vouchers, which means the program is taking care of the paperwork and financial side of living in a household. Alongside with partnering with the VA, the HUD is also providing veterans and their families a voucher. With these two organizations
Therefore, the supply of housing that is affordable and accessible to low income people should be increased. Plus assistance that allows people to reach adequate stability should be regarded as a good investment in a productive society, in order to attain our objective. First we could start by introducing more productive assistance programs that actually focus on helping those in need of housing assistance. These programs will analyze how long people are homeless, what are their needs, the causes of homelessness, and in all how many are currently without a home. Subsequently, the City of Austin would begin building affordable housing according to the amount necessary.
...e that these three solutions can be a main source into helping those in need for desperate help financially. I also feel that these plans can be a major part in developing a better economy and society for the “slum” and middle class communities. It will uplift many neighborhoods and people and to show that we can do something about this problem. Instead of us sitting and looking at the problem getting worse, we have to attend to the problem at hand.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is a United States federal department that administers programs dealing with better housing and urban renewal since 1965. HUD issued a draft to change the definition of homelessness that is described in the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid transition to Housing Act. The definition affects who is eligible for different programs in HUD-funded homeless assistance programs. HUD defines homelessness in four categories to include people living in places not meant for human habitation, people losing their primary residence, families with children or unaccompanied youth who are unstably housed, and people who are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence and have no other residences (HUD, 2010). Last year HUD conducted a survey, which found that homelessness remained steady at about 1.6 million people but that the percentage of rural or suburban homelessness rose from 23 percent to 32 percent nationwide (HUD,2010). In addition, the 2009 HUD report, which reflects the 12 months ending September 30, 2008, found the number of sheltered homeless families across the U.S. grew from about 473,000 to 517,000. It is estimated that between Nassau and Suf...
...ojects one at a time and assist individual households threatened with eviction. Resources should be divided between short-term and long-term actions. Finally, anti-gentrification advocates should develop a comprehensive approach to slowing down gentrification. ?A combination of relocation assistance, homebuyer programs, affordable housing development, land use planning, community organizing, and small business support must occur to address gentrification on all fronts? (Alejandrino 47). These are just some recommendations to help rescue those negatively affected by gentrification.
result from the withdrawal of the federal government’s investment in affordable housing. It has been noted that
Countless throughout the streets of Jackson, MS there are homeless people asking for food, money, etc. and some people aid them and others walk away. However, does anyone ever see the other side of the equation? Driving down Gallatin St. one night I saw firsthand the “other side”. Because of this, the issue that my research will cover is homelessness. Homelessness is defined as a state in which individuals lack a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence. Poverty, lack of affordable housing, declining wages, lost jobs, the economy, foreclosure, decreased assistance programs, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental illness, single parenthood, etc. are some of the causes of homelessness in America. Some of the proposed solutions are: affordable housing and homeless prevention programs. However, there needs to be less energy focused on providing temporary housing for those who are homeless, and more focus on providing permanent, affordable housing. Homelessness is an issue that should concern all of us. With a decrease in this situation it would clear up the amount of people walking around on the streets and everyone would feel more comfortable traveling at night. If someone is homeless, it is a common belief that they are more inclined to criminal activity; therefore less homelessness could equal less crime. Homelessness is not discriminatory and can happen to anyone at any time.
Most people aren’t familiar with ways our government is trying to lower health care costs of the homeless by putting them in houses, here is their chance to learn. “Housing First” approaches are aimed at reducing the number of homeless people in metropolitan cities, especially in USA and Canada. In Tulsa, the Mental Health Association operates housing models that are successful using the Housing First approach, but only with a success rate of around nine percent. These programs are able to help people achieve self-sufficiency. Special consideration is given to people who have mental illnesses. The main advantage of the approach is it makes an efficient use of the existing systems and services, and then eliminates the need for new ones. The approach has been said to lead to better quality of life, less alcohol and substance use among the beneficiaries, and less use of emergency services by the beneficiaries. Despite all of the advantages and purposes, the program has many challenges that make one think it’s not as successful as first projected. This could lead to program loss or the challenges being dealt with appropriately. If the government wants to use money to help end homelessness, they should put it towards resources and organizations that can, not towards homes where the homeless go to be ignored.