Affordable Housing Shortages and NIMBYs Are Killing People in LA – But Private Developers Can’t Save Us

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– Homelessness and housing was a clear narrative throughout the whole issue of the LA Times this past Sunday

– Article on heat deaths of unhoused people: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-19/la-me-homeless-heat-deaths

– Other short-term solutions like cooling centers

– 5 in 12 heat deaths are homeless people

– Impact of climate change on homeless people

– Heat is leading cause of weather-related deaths

– Fluctuations in the housing market, problems for home buyers, not making things better on net

– Extreme variability in prices, games home sellers played during a better market

– Sellers starting to accept FHA and down payment assistance

– Having houses for ownership rather than rental is far more protective against homelessness and protecting wealth for the working class long-term

– Article on large-scale housing development, builder’s remedy, and zoning/NIMBY issues: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-02-19/california-housing-developers-los-angeles

– Zoning laws advocated by NIMBYs preventing housing from being built is the main cause of the shortage and lack of affordable housing per authors

– Are large-scale developments by big, for-profit companies really the answer?

– LA Times editorial authors, Edward Glaeser and Atta Tarki, call for large-scale development firms to lead, but we need to think about economic equity

– Versus small scale development with accessory dwelling units (ADUs) with fewer than 1 in 5 applications approved in LA

– We don’t want a situation like Invitation Homes, which used to be Blackstone, just building for rental homes only

– Homelessness and housing issues occur on a continuum – starts with a smaller issue, then you wind up in your car or on the street

– Landlords arbitrarily raising rent, bragging about it

– You can even die of heatstroke living in your car

– Capitalists’ development efforts can help the rent-squeezed upper middle class, but those who’ve fallen off the ladder need specific help and collective action

– Huntington Beach mayor says CA is losing population, 120,000 people lost, hence no new housing is needed

– There are kids of locals with good jobs priced out of housing market with 60% going to housing even if they have a higher-paying job, so they have to leave out of state after living in town their whole life. See Times OC letter to editor about Huntington Beach.

– The lack of housing is literally killing people. But how do we solve it?

– Regulation is what helps to make housing development a meaningful, possibly equitable solution

– These people who live on the streets often have jobs and work in the communities rejecting them from having housing

– The mechanics of buying a new construction home, including cross-qualification for mortgages or “mandatory” use of developer’s lender, agent issues, etc.

– Policy could ensure new housing is on the market for the public and specifically available to FHA, VA, and down payment assistance buyers, working-class people who stand to benefit the most from buying a house

– Homeownership creates generational strong protection from homelessness

– Builder’s Remedy in Manhattan Beach

– Affordable housing set-asides are great, but come with interesting caveats, like a minimum income

– More housing in richer neighborhoods would reduce inequality

– “A child who grew up in a low-income household in Los Angeles’ affluent Brentwood neighborhood earns on average nearly four times more at age 35 than someone who grew up in lower-income central L.A.” – Census Opportunity Atlas, LA Times

– Tell this argument to NIMBYs upset with the homeless: A nice public housing building looks way better than homeless in the streets

– The NIMBY attitude, not just the zoning policy, is killing people

– Homeless people are kicked out of places where they can get air conditioning and bathroom access, like coffee shops and fast food restaurants

– It’s all about who looks like they will spend money and Karens complaining

– Lack of third spaces that are not shopping and dining

– Homeless people create community just like you and I

– Letter from Flathead County, Montana Board of Commissioners upset with “networked community” of homeless people: https://www.reddit.com/r/lostgeneration/comments/10kofvr/homelessness_insight_from_kalispell_montana/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

– Structural inequality created by capitalism feels inescapable but the correct use of government power can help

– The future: non-profit, cooperative, mutual aid-style groups, and collective housing ownership powered with government funds

– Homeless communities’ resourcefulness shows they can reach self-sufficiency and self-governance with the right support

 

If you are looking into buying, selling, or renting any kind of real estate, please reach out to me. I am a licensed real estate agent (CA DRE# 02101592) and can offer referrals to quality agents nationwide. I do the legwork and the screening of your agent so you don’t have to. Call 657-206-0736 or email greyson@offspeedsolutions.com.

Off Speed Solutions provides strategy and consulting for advocacy communications, community engagement, day-to-day operational support, and media ecosystems. Learn more at http://www.offspeedsolutions.com

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