Affordable housing crissis is spreading

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Article from Huffington Post on the spread of the affordable housing crissis to smaller cities like Boise, ID

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hou...fd7fcfcee0

[snikwahpn]

There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle. I have worked in construction for over 30 years, mostly remodeling existing houses, but some new residential construction. We were having a labor shortage back in the ‘90s. And the construction workforce has been aging. They used to figure framing was a young man’s job—not anymore. The last new construction job I did was in ‘97–in several weeks at the site, I only saw one man who appeared to be 30 or under. Of the guys I worked with most, I was the last one still working ten years ago. Importing Mexicans has been an answer to some of that, but not all. Most often they work in crew situations, where they can get by as long as they have one man who can speak English well enough to deal with the contractor or homeowner. They seem to dominate in framing and roofing where we live. But not all jobs require a crew.

And workforce is not the only problem. The size of an average house has doubled or more since the 1950s. Kitchens and baths have gotten larger and more elaborate—and they are the most expensive rooms in a house, mainly for cabinets, appliances, and plumbing fixtures.

There are also local regulations that are part of the problem—minimum lot sizes, minimum house sizes, restrictions on how a building is finished, even paint colors. Some of these come from local government, some from Homeowners Associations. Then there are the environmental regulations that have affected the cost and quality of lumber—ever since the ‘90s. They are now making 2x4s out of 9” diameter logs. And the lumber from immature trees is not as stable as the older stock—I have bought lumber that was straight and true when I picked it at the store, and 3 days later it is twisted and warped.. The cedar and redwood for sale today no longer have the rot resistance and insect resistance they were once known for—that came from harvesting old trees that had built up large amounts of tannins in the wood over years of growth, and we’re now using wood from young trees grown on tree farms.

More to say on this, but have to run for now. May be back later.

[Wabbit]

There's prob around 140 million housing units in the US. If 10% of those are vacant(the actual % is higher), that's 14 million empty housing units. Homeless numbers in the US range from 500k to upwards 3 million. Hard to find good numbers on low income housing, but prob around 5 million households get rent assistance. Not sure what my point is, but something to do with there's enough housing for everyone.

"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed." - Mahatma Gandhi

[Optimistic Paranoid]

There's prob around 140 million housing units in the US. If 10% of those are vacant(the actual % is higher), that's 14 million empty housing units. Homeless numbers in the US range from 500k to upwards 3 million. Hard to find good numbers on low income housing, but prob around 5 million households get rent assistance. Not sure what my point is, but something to do with there's enough housing for everyone.

"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed." - Mahatma Gandhi

There may be, on AVERAGE, a sufficiency nationwide, but people tend to move from where there are no jobs to where the jobs are.  (Actually, we're also seeing people fleeing from states like MA, CA, and NY to places where the taxes are lower.)

The problem seems to be that there isn't enough affordable housing in places where the economic growth is happening.

[weigh2ez]

I was just bitching to some of my friends about this at coffee this morning.  In 1967 I joined the USAF and got stationed at Reese AFB outside Lubbock, TX.  During the Clinton administration it was closed and eventually turned over to the city of Lubbock. ( I use the term of Clinton administration only for time frame).  On occasion I drive out there to look around and it pisses me off to see perfectly good buildings falling down.  There BOQ's(bachelor officer quarters) that are basically one bedroom apartments that could be used for senior housing for example.  There's also several barracks that are repairable not to mention a small hospital that was built only a few years before the base closed that would be a great rehab center. 

There are several businesses there,  the local police academy, a junior college campus, but it pisses me to no end those building going to waste that could be used for low rent housing.

[frater secessus]

The problem seems to be that there isn't enough affordable housing in places where the economic growth is happening.

This is a huge comparitive advantatge for vandwellers:  no transaction costs in selling/buying houses when moving to areas of low unenployment.

[Queen]

I was just bitching to some of my friends about this at coffee this morning.  In 1967 I joined the USAF and got stationed at Reese AFB outside Lubbock, TX.  During the Clinton administration it was closed and eventually turned over to the city of Lubbock. ( I use the term of Clinton administration only for time frame).  On occasion I drive out there to look around and it pisses me off to see perfectly good buildings falling down.  There BOQ's(bachelor officer quarters) that are basically one bedroom apartments that could be used for senior housing for example.  There's also several barracks that are repairable not to mention a small hospital that was built only a few years before the base closed that would be a great rehab center. 

There are several businesses there,  the local police academy, a junior college campus, but it pisses me to no end those building going to waste that could be used for low rent housing.

Our local Base (where my dad retired) closed about that same time.  Fortunately someone saw value in the old TDY dorms and the BOQ and turned them.into senior housing and a quasi-military youth rehabilitation camp.

[Motrukdriver]

According to Santa all you gotta do is sell everything you own and buy one of those $2500 tiny camper trailers (that he endorses) and all will be good with the universe.

[snikwahpn]

There's prob around 140 million housing units in the US. If 10% of those are vacant(the actual % is higher), that's 14 million empty housing units. Homeless numbers in the US range from 500k to upwards 3 million. Hard to find good numbers on low income housing, but prob around 5 million households get rent assistance. Not sure what my point is, but something to do with there's enough housing for everyone.

"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed." - Mahatma Gandhi

There may be 140 million “housing units” in the US, but how many are occupied—and how many are not even habitable?  We live in Indianapolis, which is one of those cities that has ended up dough-nut shaped.  Most people actually live around the fringes, even in Marion County itself (like many big cities, the surrounding counties have been absorbed into the “metro area.”). There are a couple of trendy neighborhoods close to downtown, but there are a lot of empty houses in Center Township.  They are small houses, on small lots, with no driveways or garages.  The majority are run down, and the costs of fixing them up would be high—they’re old enough to have a lot of lead paint, bad plumbing (if the pipes haven’t been stolen—there was a lot of that in Indy 10 years ago)...etc.  The lots are small enough that if you tore one down, you would not be able to re-build under current setback rules—if you could get a permit to tear it down.  Indianapolis actually has more empty houses these days than Detroit—they just don’t make the news about it much.

Part of the problem is a lot of the older housing stock in some places is houses nobody wants, in places nobody wants to live in.  Another part is the high cost of building, both because of the labor shortage and because of the increased regulations, especially in the cities like Indy—it’s easier to build out in the surrounding counties.  They have their own issues, with HOAs and local zoning, but better than the central city.

[weigh2ez]

Queen, what base is that?