Looking at affordable housing in a different way

It’s time for us to revise our approach to affordable housing. We are fighting against the tide as we seek to provide housing options for low-income people. As land becomes more scarce, it becomes more expensive. As the economy continues to improve, construction costs escalate. And perhaps most importantly, we are facing huge demographic changes with both Baby Boomers and Millennials, many of whom want to live in towns and cities.

As a result, I believe it will be increasingly difficult to provide affordable rental and ownership housing for the lower paid people who work in our community. To maximize our impact, we need a new approach.

Currently and rightfully, each of our local governments has its own strategies and funding for affordable housing. However, there is little coordination of effort. I believe we would be more effective if we identified the types of housing that are not being provided by the market and determined how and where we can address those housing needs.

This should be a coordinated effort among all the local governments and the nonprofit organizations. We are fortunate in our community to have elected boards that are willing to provide resources for affordable housing. We also have experienced nonprofit organizations that know how to create and preserve affordable homes. Working together, we can leverage our strengths and assets, thus increasing our collective impact.

Ten years from now will be too late. Now is the time to shift our thinking about how to address affordable housing in our community.

— Robert Dowling