BACKGROUND
In a county where some of the wealthiest people reside, Orange County does include areas where low-income families struggle to afford housing. Since the 2008 recession, federal funds to construct new, less-expensive homes have drastically decreased—the Orange County Register reports it to be 76 percent. Foreclosures enabled most to lose their homes and forced many to join the rental market. This increased the quantity of renters in the county in the past decade. However, rent is not exactly affordable, and with the decrease in income, this made it much more difficult for families to live in decent homes. On top of that, not enough was being done by the local government to solve this problem. This is due to the fact that the timing
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Joseph Alcock reiterates that a “lack of affordable housing can be a barrier to a strong reliable economy” (9). High housing costs can influence where businesses and corporations decide to locate, which will affect the local economy. First-time homebuyers will most likely shy away from moving to Orange County because of these high prices on homes. In addition, many people leave after graduating from local college and universities because families probably not want to continue paying a lot for their own homes. These youthful passage level specialists drive neighborhood economies. On the off chance that they can't stand to live in the area, nearby economies will endure. An absence of affordable housing can push zone specialists to settle outside of the territory, bringing about longer drives, expanded movement blockage and contamination, diminished efficiency, and a reduced personal satisfaction for the area. An absence of reasonable rental housing confines the capacity of tenants to put something aside for an initial installment on a home, which restricts their capacity to in the end get to be property holders and assemble individual riches through housing appreciation. An absence of affordable housing improves the probability of vagrancy. An absence of reasonable housing has brought about congestion and critical increments in family unit and group stress. An absence of affordable housing causes families to live in substandard dangerous …show more content…
These include the passage of Proposition 13 and the realignment of local government funds, which has advocated for local governments to pursue retail and business establishment over residential development. Two, the increased usage of exactions like impact fees has contributed to the existing affordable housing crisis. In order to close the financial gap caused by Proposition 13, local cities began using exactions, regulations and fees increasingly. Because of this, residential development costs have hiked up throughout much of the state. In addition, the passing of growth control measures, which have artificially restricted the supply of developable land, has further caused housing construction costs to increase. Another factor would include NIMBYism, also known as neighborhood opposition, towards new affordable housing development, which has hindered the growth of affordable housing development over time. Much of the state and federal funding for residential development has declined, which makes it much more difficult for new construction of homes. This has also increased the dependence on exactions and other taxes which have enabled the affordable housing production costs to rise exponentially. Another factor that has made it financially difficult to produce new housing are the excessive regulations mandated by the state. With these costs, fewer houses
Gentrification is defined as the process by which the wealthy or upper middle class uproot poorer individuals through the renovation and rebuilding of poor neighborhoods. Many long-term residents find themselves no longer able to afford to live in an area, where the rent and property values are increasing. Gentrification is a very controversial topic, revealing both the positive and negative aspects of the process. Some of the more desirable outcomes include reduced crime rate, increased economic activity, and the building of new infrastructures. However, it is debated whether the negatives overwhelm the positive. An increase in the number of evictions of low-income families, often racial minorities can lead to a decline of diversity
Lance Freeman tackles the issue of gentrification from the perspectives of residents in the gentrified neighborhood. He criticizes the literature for overlooking the experiences of the victims of gentrification. The author argues that people’s conceptions on the issue are somewhat misinformed in that most people consider it as completely deplorable, whereas in reality, it benefits the community by promoting businesses, different types of stores, and cleaner streets. These benefits are even acknowledged by many residents in the gentrified neighborhood. However, the author admits that gentrification indeed does harm. Although gentrification does not equate to displacement per se, it serves to benefit primarily homeowners and harm the poor. Additionally,
“Gentrification is a general term for the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, a related increase in rents and property values, and changes in the district's character and culture.” (Grant) In layman’s terms, gentrification is when white people move to a black neighborhood for the sake of cheaper living, and in turn, raise up property values and force black neighbors to leave because of a higher price of living. Commonly, the government supports gentrification with the demolition of public housing in areas that are developing with more white neighbors. This is causing a decreasing amount of African Americans to be able to afford to live in the neighborhood as their homes are taken away from them, forcing them to relocate. Whilst gentrification normally has negative connotations, there are several people who believe gentrification brings about “an upward trend in property values in previously neglected neighborhoods.” (Jerzyk) On the other hand, this new trend in property value and business causes those...
The last big effect that comes from the urban housing reform is that it makes it difficult for people to get out of those areas. Living in urban projects is not a place where many people wish to be but they have no choice if they can’t afford to get out of the area. Some people re only able to afford living in those areas or cannot get a job that pays high enough to move to someplace else. This has created a vicious circle of the areas becoming more run down and more
Downs has sought to dispel myths surrounding housing policy. The first myth he debunks is the myth that all government-sponsored urban policies have failed. Downs believes that although they had resulted in greater hardships for poorer neighborhoods, the policies have given great benefits to a majority of urban American families. While he does not consider these policies to be a complete success, he refuses to call them failures due to the fact that they did indeed improve the standard of living for most of urban America. Downs also calls to our attention the effect of housing policies on the number of housing units. Starting in 1950, housing policies were aimed at ending the housing shortage until focus was shifted to low income households in the midst of the Vietnam War. To Downs, ending the shortage was important because it was affecting the American way of life. Couples were delaying marriage, extended families were living in one home, and overcrowded housing led to overcrowded local facilities, such as schools. Downs also argues that this overcrowding led to an inescapable cycle of “substandard”
Since poverty affects a wide array of people, poverty has evolved into a very complex issue. And even though the government has passed legislature to try to ameliorate the situation, many of these means-tested measures like food stamps, have only been able to help the surface of poverty and fails to rip out the long roots poverty has grown throughout history. Poverty’s deep effects are seen especially in minorities as they struggle much more to leave a current situation that has been created by historical process. Even though government assistance like food stamps do help alleviate some of poverty’s burden, these measures fail to recognize the reality that many of the impoverished minority have undervalued homes or no homes at all and even if they can rent, that rent can be high enough to take up more than fifty-percent of their paychecks. Overall, poverty in America is a vastly complicated issue rooted throughout history. And even though the government has attempted to pass legislature to help provide relief from poverty, America still has yet to provide measures that target the roots of poverty and until then, the government assistance it does provide will only be superficial and fail to provide long-term solutions to a complicated
As stated by Richard F. Burns and Thomas G. Vaccaro in Unaffordable Housing: A Root Cause of Social Inequality, 80% to 120% of area median income—also struggle to find affordable rental units in all 50 states. This lack of “workforce housing” results in their inability to live in or near the places where they work. Not being able to live near work if results in higher cost of living because you end up having to pay for either a car or, you could rely on public transportation or even have to pay forward gas money to another person. Housing also ties(“is also tied to”) to cost of living which turns out is very expensive. According to DePersio, Greg in "How Much Money Do You Need to Live in Los Angeles?, As of August 2015, the average rent in Los Angeles is $2,296 per month. Even if someone is only looking for a one-bedroom apartment, the average cost sits at approximately$1,950 per month. A two-bedroom apartment averages slightly over $2,500. So as one can see that they have to make at the very least $13 an hour just to pay rent, this does not even include food or utilities let alone if they have kids forget it. Because of unaffordable housing has left millions without homes making them fall under the category of
In this article, the author writes about the Urban Renewal Plan and what it did to a community in Oakland, California. The West Oakland community was found in 1852 and had a diverse population living there. That article says that upper-class people would be living next door to working class people. After the World Wars that changed because lower income families started moving to the area looking for jobs. The jobs they had were created because of the war. When the war ended these people lost their jobs. At the same time, the Urban Renewal Plan was put into place. This plan set out to remove slums in urban places. This plan would relocated families, demolish houses and create low-income housing. When a family was relocated they received little
The repercussions of the increasing suburbanization go beyond merely restricted access to choice housing for minorities. Just as important as the housing market shift have been the movements of prime job markets and choice schooling to the suburbs (Jenks and Mayer). The combined loss of these three elements (housing, jobs, and schooling) has ensured a comprehensive disadvantage for minorities left in the inner city. Especially with regard to the black community, the result has been concentrated urban areas of black Americans livin...
Have you ever noticed that while you’re driving around Austin that the homeless have become a common casualty to exhibit. I know the first thing that comes to mind is, “How ridiculous, why don’t they just get a job!”It perfectly acceptable to wonder, whether your money would go towards feeding a starving stomach or a drug addiction, therefore your generosity would be put to better use through a charity foundation or simply by offering a meal. The reality is that the majority of people who are homeless are unable to work due to certain disabilities. In other words, the best response is compassion. There is only so far we can do as a community, the major change has to come from a superior source, which is why I propose that the City of Austin ought to step up and diminish this problem. The City of Austin should build more affordable housing and assistance programs because it will help reduce homelessness.
The American dream was owning a house with a white picket fence. Now this dream is impossible. Individuals and families find it more difficult to find a decent home to rent in a suitable living area. According to Huffington Post, the hourly wage needed to afford a two bedroom apartment in California is at least $26 an hour. This is more than triple the minimum wage. Eviction, relocation, and inflation are the common keywords that associate with affordable housing. I 'm hoping to persuade you to support affordable housing for all. Today, I will be discussing, one, inflation of the housing market that needs to decrease, two, eviction from homes, three having to move to communities far from their work site.
Notwithstanding, there are various positive characteristics of outer ring suburbs, such as cheaper housing, bigger housing, lower taxes, ample parking, and it is a lot more safer, but even then, I would choose to live in an inner ring suburb. Moreover, another reason to why I would choose to live in a neighborhood in an inner ring suburb, has to do with the prevention of the negative aspects of gentrification. Although gentrification has promoted the overturn of poor neighborhood, increasing property values, the middle class returning, and preventing urban sprawl, the negative effects it has on individuals that have lived there for many years is devastating. Unfortunately, inner city residents have to endure the prices of their property taxes going up, causing them to feel uncomfortable, specifically financially. In addition, the old residents are forced out by the young, middle class, graduate students that are looking for cheap housing. Gentrification also includes the deterioration of old businesses that are overtaken by new businesses, such as
Throughout my research I found there is a real cry out for action on providing more affordable house not just locally but throughout the country. There needs to be more funding available to build more gear to income or subsidized housing and all levels of government need to take action.
Gentrification is described as the renovation of certain neighborhoods in order to accommodate to young workers and the middle-class. For an area to be considered gentrified, a neighborhood must meet a certain median home value and hold a percentage of adults earning Bachelor’s degree. Philadelphia’s gentrification rate is among the top in the nation; different neighborhoods have pushed for gentrification and have seen immense changes as a result. However, deciding on whether or not gentrification is a beneficial process can become complicated. Various groups of people believe that cities should implementing policy on advancing gentrification, and others believe that this process shouldn’t executed. Both sides are impacted by the decision to progress gentrification; it is unclear of the true implications of completely renovating impoverished urban areas; gentrification surely doesn’t solve all of a community’s issues. I personally believe that gentrification is not necessarily a good or bad process; gentrification should occur as a natural progression of innovative economies and novel lifestyles collide within certain areas. Policy involving gentrification should not support the removal of people out of their neighborhood for the sake of advancement.
To really be able to fix the housing market, we have to look at how it got so bad to begin with. Banks were giving loans out to people who couldn’t afford to repay them. That was, what I see, as the most detrimental situation regarding the housing market. Are the banks only to blame? Absolutely not. Those people who took those loans with little thought of repercussions also caused this mess. We shouldn’t be borrowing money so loosely and the banks should not have made it so easy.