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Changing Laws & Creating Financial Tools
Setting the Stage for Affordable Housing
Changing Laws, Creating Financial Tools…
In this chapter, Daryn Kobata and Jill Shook explore a broad spectrum of models. They look at housing created by people of faith, yet without necessarily building it. Instead these churches set the stage for housing to be created using the following outreach models.
Examples of Direct Services
Setting up shelters, helping a family find housing, helping families pay the deposit, and assisting them to obtain better jobs, etc.
Examples of Mobilizing/Convening
Having learned from the African American Church, Hyepin Im, on a national scale, mobilizes various venues with Korean churches to help them create affordable housing. She convened Korean Churches for Community Development—KCCD (http://www.kccd3300.org/ ) with part of their mission to empower Asian churches to create affordable housing by partnering with HUD for their conference; they also partner with banks to offer financial literacy classes and homeownership fairs at churches. The Christian Community Development Association CCDA (http://www.ccda.org/) offers affordable housing tracks at their yearly national conferences. Many courses and conferences today bring awareness, a forum for relationships and opportunity around the issues of affordable housing.
Examples of Community Development
Using a community development model, Robert Lavelle transformed much of his Pittsburg neighborhood by reviving a bank that lends to people’s needs and not their greed. Many churches across the US, like Second Baptist in Los Angeles, have started credit unions to help their members qualify for homeownership. First Time Home Buyers programs and the Individual Development Accounts–IDA (http://www.cfed.org/focus.m?parentid=31&siteid=374&id=374 ) have helped many very low income families to purchase homes. The IDA program allows very low income families to have their savings matched up to 5 times, depending on the number of bank partners participating. After two years in the program, the money is used for home ownership. There are countless ways that churches across the country are developing their communities, and in that process they are developing new creative financial tools and finding untapped resources to bring about decent, safe affordable housing. For example, John Kretzmans and John McKnight’s Asset Based Community Development Institute trains groups on how to recognize and access the communities assets. (http://www.northwestern.edu/ipr/abcd.html) Also, some developers are looking at assets in fresh and different ways; for example, they are utilizing ground leases (similar to the land trust model) which allow institutional land (i.e. universities, hospitals, school districts and churches) to build and sell homes on their land. The homes are be sold, but the land remains owned by the institution. With the cost of the land taken out of the equation, the homes become affordable. Owner representative developers have been successfully using this model for more than 30 years, with one of the first projects at UCI (http://www.unidevllc.com/why_housing.htm). This model can provide much needed revenue for institutions while a the same time, serves to retent of their best and brightest employees by giving them the opportunity to own a home they can afford.
Examples of Advocacy
Using an advocacy model, Charles Suhayda, a pastor of Hollywood Presbyterian Church works with the homeless to help them address the housing issue they face daily. Charles challenged his homeless and near homeless friends to compile surveys among their peers. This research ultimately resulted in one among them selected as an LA city commissioner. This team brought about additional housing units being built in their neighborhood, and along with other advocates, help to pass California’s Prop. 46 which provided a 2.1 Billion Dollar Bond for affordable housing. In the following coalitions, Institues and magazine provide other advocacy efforts taking place across our landscape: The National Low Income Hosuing Coaliton http://www.nlihc.org/advocates/communityopposition.htm
National Housing Institute and Shelterforce Magazine: http://www.nhi.org/
Examples of Community Organizing
Together with Action in Montgomery–AIM, Mark Fraley helped organize twenty churches throughout Montgomery County, Maryland. They significantly changed the property tax structure so that now there is a dedicated source of 2.5 percent of the county’s property taxes that fund their Affordable Housing Trust Fund.Other Ways to Create Affordable Housing: Below are examples of various state and local laws that have been passed which have moved our country one step closer to addressing our nation’s housing crisis: · Inclusionary zoning or ordinances (also called scattered housing policies). Cities and counties have applied these. No States has yet required this. The ordinance in Pasadena requires that 15% of all new housing with 10 units or more, be affordable. Some have suggested that condo conversions should also be included. · Second Dwelling Unit Mandates— AB 1866 in California essentially rezoned the entire state, allowing all single family detached homes to build a second dwelling unit on their land in accordance with local land use requirements. This Mandate also gave cities the option to create a local ordinance to provide guidance, but not to prevent second unites from being built. Nevertheless, a number of cities passed laws that make it almost impossible for homeowners to build a second unit. For example, in Pasadena lots must be at least 15,000 square feet before a unit can be built. · Density Bonus Laws (i.e.California’s SB 1818 http://www.housingadvocates.org/default.asp?ID=749, Urban Land Institute has a well researches publication on the myths and facts of higher density: http://www.uli.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search§ion=Policy_Papers2&template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentFileID=7313 · Fast track approvals for Affordable Housing http://www.huduser.org/rbc/newsletter/vol4iss3more.html · Fee Waivers for affordable housing. · Minimize conflicting requirements, such as the City of Gardens ordinance in Pasadena, California, prevents developers from maximizing density bonuses http://www.pdc.us/housing_serv/hsg_development/dev-fee-waivers.asp · The creation of an Affordable Housing Round Table such as the one in Santa Fe New Mexico whereby a Round Table members make decisions about affordable housing. Many have suggested that Proposition 13 in California is no longer needed. They argue that the lack of supply of homes is pushing up home prices beyond the reach of most Californians, and that Prop 13 is now standing in the way of supply, and limiting the local tax base. If you are aware of any actions that have been taken or laws that have been changed that move us closer to alleviating our National housing crisis, or if you know of any other resources or successful models that should be added to this website, please contact Jill Shook at (626) 797-4072 |
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