Beyond Design

Blog Prompt 2: Find a social-design issue - here in the twin cities
Document it.
Become an advocate for it.

While sitting in my geography of the twin cities class today pondering what social-design issue I could discuss, my teacher began to tell us of Sumner Field Housing project. It was the first of its kind, built in Minneapolis’s north side during the Depression in 1938. The local government at the time was barraged by applicants in need of affordable housing, nearly double the capacity of the Sumner Field Project. My professor went on to describe to us how we are in much the same situation right now. However, it hasn’t always been like this. During much of the 70’s there was an increase in interest in the need for affordable housing and the solution was eased for a time. But that time is gone and once again thousands of people are in dire situation are in need of a place to live. Increasing housing costs, average decrease in wages and destruction of current affordable housing has left thousands in the metro area stranded with nowhere to turn.

Chip Halbach, executive director of the St. Paul-based Minnesota Housing Partnership, said the situation is something of a double-whammy. From 2000 to 2005, the number of apartments in Minnesota that rent for $700 a month or less fell by 60,000 units - a 22 percent drop. During that same period the median income of Minnesota renters, adjusted for inflation, fell from $31,588 to $26,755 - a drop of about 15 percent. . . (Bjorhus)

I ran across two startling articles from both the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune from April 2007. The story they ran was about an opening in the St. Paul Public Housing Agency’s sector 8 division which distributes vouchers for affordable housing. In the short span of time they had the waitlist open, nearly 11,000 people applied; this number was double the 5,000 to 6,000 they had expected. The average wait for an occupant on this list is five years. This very evident example shows all of us that the need is still very much here and more than ever.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, housing is consider affordable only when it cost the household that occupies it less than 30% of its gross income. Half of all those who rent and a third of all those with mortgages do not live in affordable housing under this definition. Many of these work full time jobs, yet they still have difficulties affording their current homes. Included in such occupations are pre-school teachers, janitors, retail salespersons, medical assistants, nurse aides, restaurant cooks, maids, receptionists and school bus drivers.

Many of these families are forced to sacrifice other necessities in order to have a place to live.
As housing costs consume a growing portion of household income, families have less money left over to pay for other needs. Because families risk losing their homes if they do not meet their rent or mortgage costs each month, they often must skimp on other necessities such as food, child care, or health care. Also, with so few affordable units available, many families are forced to accept any housing they can find, even if it is in unsafe or substandard condition.In the worst cases, individuals and families who cannot afford housing face eviction from apartments or foreclosure on their homes and may become homeless. (Public Education. . .)

In Minneapolis alone the Metropolitan Council has calculated a need of 4, 088 units (Twin Cities Region. . .)The problem will likely augment in the coming years as the Metropolitan Council has predicted that the Twin Cities metro area will have one million new residents by the year 2020. But the problem does not lie in the inner-cities alone. Nearly half of those in need of affordable housing live in one of the Twin Cities’ suburbs, most notably Shakopee, Woodbury, Lakeville and Prior Lake are predicted to be in need the most in the next ten years. People here, often have hard time keeping up with their more affluent neighbors and finding services they need near them. Below is a link to the Metropolitan Council’s “Twin Cities Region Affordable Housing Units Needed, 2011 to 2020�.
http://www.metrocouncil.org/planning/Housing/AffHousingNeedJan06.pdf

So why hasn’t something been done about this ever-growing problem? There have been some improvements throughout the Twin Cities thanks to legislation which obligates local governments to propose projects that meet that demand of affordable housing increases. In 1995 the Living Communities Act furthered this mission by presenting cities who agreed with various developmental grants. While great strides may have been taken in some areas such as St. Paul and New Brighton, many others are lagging behind their projected goals; some counties have fallen below the 25% marker in terms of progress. There are many factors why local city governments are not meeting the goals they set for to do. “When asked to name the chief obstacles to meeting affordable housing goals, land costs were mentioned by 62% of the respondents, lack of available land for multi-family and low-cost housing was mentioned by 42%, and 36% cited the lack of funding for subsidized housing.� (TC Housing. . .) Other reasons include the oppositions by neighbors who believe it will lower their property value and land use going toward condominiums and townhouses.

In order to create change and invigorate our communities several things must be done utilizing both the public and private sectors in the community. Although local governments cannot control the cost of land they can assist in zoning and what land they do own they could sell off at a lower rate. A much less costlier approach is renovating and expanding existing buildings. In the private sector, businesses could donate some for the good of the community as a whole. The attitude of affordable housing needs to change as well, it should not be looked at as a burden for the city to bear but, “In reality, affordable housing stabilizes families and stabilizes communities.� (TC Housing. . .) There’s still much more to be done so that everyone in need receives the home they deserve.

“Everyone has a right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well being of himself and his family, including . . . housing . . .�
-Universal Declaration of Rights, Article 25