Session 13

·         Who

            The housing talked about in this session is for the low income and needy people. This includes but not limited to low income areas, projects etc. Also mainly targeted towards the employed and working people contributing at least 30% of their income towards rent/mortgage.

            Atlanta also ranks 7th in the least affordable rental markets among the top 31 metropolitan cities. 13th in least affordable housing market and 12th in critical housing.

           

·         Why

       This is an issue because low income families cannot afford to pay for expensive housing as it takes away most their disposable income.  Also these programs improve the standard and quality of housing provided by landlords and make the neighborhoods safe and healthy.

 ·         What

            In the "Visionaries" video, one of the steps being taken to develop Mons Valley was the Mons valley initiative. This helped people get job placement, get quality and affordable housing and give out loans to people wanting to start small businesses in the area. This was done to boost the failing economy of Mons valley due to closing of steel mills.

            The Housing Act of 1937 was the first federal step towards the housing problem. This act enabled the safe and sanitary housing, helped remove slums and this helped stimulate the economy by getting more businesses in the area and remove unemployment. This law also established the U.S. Housing Authority and public housing.

            Next, the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 created the Community Development Block Grant Program. This provided cities and urban counties with yearly direct grants. The goals of this program were to revitalize neighborhoods, expand affordable housing and economic opportunities, improve community facilities and services, and benefit low and moderate income persons.

            The Cranston-Gonzales National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 also created block grants for state and local governments through  programs called HOME and HOPE. This helped decentralize the housing policy and preserve existing federal housing policies.

            The government also started the section 8 voucher program which would either give landlords the vouchers in exchange to provide safe and affordable housing, or would give the vouchers directly to homeowners to seek out private affordable housing. These vouchers helped families to stabilize their housing situation and indirectly helped children stay in one school rather than moving around and losing hope.

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     ·         How well

            Currently the government has achieved a lot towards housing in my opinion. Even though there are homeless people out there, they do have shelters to take advantage of. Also the affordable housing really does help those who are willing to stay employed and help themselves. Also the absence of slums shows something. There are other countries that have slums and people living in unsanitary and unsafe places, at least here people have the basic facilities when it comes to housing.

·  What you personally think should be done

            I think these programs are great and help those directly in need for it. They also encourage people to work for the benefits and not just getting them handed down to them. Even though there are downsides to these programs, the benefits outweigh the challenges.