Affordable Housing . . .  It Matters

One of the core purposes of Habitat for Humanity is to make the need for a decent, affordable place to live a matter of conscience for everyone. HFHMD strives to go beyond just building homes; we hope to also create more awareness for the desperate need by so many in our community for a stable and affordable place to live. It's a very real problem for thousands of families.

But it isn't just families who benefit from a supply of affordable housing. The entire community benefits when people who work in that community, including factory workers, firefighters, and restaurant and retail employees, can afford to live there. If they can't, they commute greater distances, causing pollution and transportation problems. In addition, the ability to attract and keep businesses and jobs is directly linked to the availability of affordable housing for employees. All of us pay more for healthcare and car insurance when people can't afford it because their high cost of housing consumes too much of their income. Schools also suffer from an unstable population of students whose parents move frequently in search of better and cheaper housing.

Decent and affordable housing benefits us all. You can help promote affordable housing in many ways!

• Educate yourself about affordable housing issues.
• Share your knowledge with friends, co-workers, and peers.
• Support affordable housing developments in your neighborhood.
• Know who your local and state elected officials are and let them know that you care about affordable housing. Click here to learn who your elected officials are.
• Check out Habitat for Humanity International's excellent "Advocacy Toolkit " to take action now, learn about Habitat's legislative priorities, and sign up as an advocate.

 

The Benefits of Homeownership

• The stability of homeownership directly impacts children's ability to perform better in school.
  
• Homeowners have a greater stake in the community and are more likely to get involved in solving community problems and participate in the democratic process.
• Once they begin working, children of homeowners earn more and are less likely to rely on welfare.
• Children of homeowners are more likely to be homeowners themselves.

 

Why Affordable Housing Is Difficult to Attain

• A person must work the equivalent of 2.5 minimum wage jobs or earn $38,000 a year to afford the average rent in Denver.
• More than 80% of the working poor families in Colorado spend more than one-third of their income on rent.  
  
• For families earning less than $31,000 annually, more than 21,000 affordable units are needed for people who currently live in substandard housing. 
   

Help make decent housing a matter of conscience for all - stand up for affordable housing in your community, so that everyone has the opportunity to acheive the American dream of homeowership, and have a good place to call home.