Articles

Affordable housing needs support

Editorial by Lyle V. Harris
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
July 6, 2007

The promise of decent, safe and affordable housing for every citizen is not a right enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. But the compassionate impulse to provide quality shelter for those desperately in need is deeply woven into our national character -- as well it should be.

As with other domestic priorities, housing policy has gotten short shrift in recent years, but that situation may soon change. A new bill introduced in Congress last month could renew interest in the issue and hopefully propel it to the forefront of the 2008 presidential campaign.

House Resolution 2895, which has bipartisan support, would create a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund with the goal of producing, preserving or rehabilitating at least 1.5 million units of affordable housing in the next decade.

The fund would be established and replenished with contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-backed mortgage companies, as well as revenues from the Federal Housing Administration, which insures mortgages.

Early estimates suggest the fund would initially total about $1 billion. To participate, state and local governments would have to provide a dollar for every $2 drawn from the fund, and the money could be used for everything from construction to down-payment assistance.

The bill proposes that at least 75 percent of the trust fund be reserved for those who are "extremely low income," which means they're earning less than 30 percent of an area's median income. That population accounts for about 9 million households who rent.

A recent study released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development underscores the growing need for low-cost housing to serve those families living on the economic margins.

Between 2003 and 2005, the percentage of households who earned 50 percent below an area's median income and were living in substandard housing without government housing subsidies rose by 16 percent, according to the HUD report.

The composition of Americans living in such "worst case" housing includes 2.3 million families with children, 1.3 million seniors and 542,000 persons with disabilities. Although major cities saw a nearly 15 percent increase of worst-case households, suburban areas experienced a 5 percent rise, and rural areas faced a 51 percent jump.

The demand for affordable housing is becoming acute in metro Atlanta where several factors are dramatically changing the area's housing landscape. For example, the Atlanta Housing Authority is shuttering its older housing projects, a wave of gentrification is making some older, intown neighborhoods less affordable and developers are building high-priced condos catering to affluent households who eschew long commutes.

In order to mitigate against market forces that can jeopardize our poorest citizens, local and national governments must play an active role. Congress can begin doing that, and thereby recognizing a collective commitment to provide a basic human need, by passing this bill.

-- Lyle V. Harris, for the editorial board (lharris@ajc.com)

Copyright 2007 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. More information: www,ajc.com.

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