Reply #2: Housing Market [View All]

A few months ago I responded to a post about the rebuilding of the 9th ward in New Orleans. I have read much, seen a lot of footage, even gone on Google and looked at the devastation from the satellite photos. There is so much we can do right here in our own nation to help people have a safe, clean, healthy shelter. There is much we can do in the world abroad as well by our donations but I hope to use my drafting talents and skills to help in this endeavor.

Here in Vegas the foreclosures are skyrocketing as they are across the nation. Many of those losing their homes are the low income, labor force employed and less educated, especially in the minority groups.

There are plenty of homes available in Vegas, even some that could be renovated and repaired to fit into the low income bracket, but with banks foreclosing and people losing their jobs, the economy and inflation sucking up what little money we have left it seems like building new houses doesn't make sense, at least here. It seems like we could find a way to help keep those folks from losing their homes in the first place. Either a subsidized loan repayment, a reduction of interest rates, something to keep these people from having to go back into public housing or becoming homeless.

For many of the people in this situation it's like they've swam 1/2 way across a wide dangerous river. They are tired and worn out, but if they don't swim the distance they'll drown. If they go back to the place they started they will lose everything they've gained. If they do nothing they'll drown. Either way, someone, somewhere, somehow needs to help them get to the other side. We can rescue them now at a small percentage of the cost of what it would take to build new economy housing, or we can rescue them later at full price, or we can let them drown. Perhaps Habitat For Humanity can influence our Banking systems to find a way to help these people keep their homes.

It just doesn't make sense to send these people back to the place they started. Home ownership is a huge responsibility but has proven time and again to be the best path to a sense of security and connection to a community. It's good for our schools, it's good for our cities, it's good for our nation when people have the autonomy of their own home and space. It's good for neighborhoods when people own rather than rent. It's good for the economy when they are inspired to fix up, repair, improve and beautify their homes. It's good for their employment, our industries, and our nation to have home owners across the nation. What can we do, collectively to help this situation?