An Examination of The Shortcomings of Affordable Housing

Before we discuss the issues around the implementation of affordable housing, we first have to understand what affordable housing is. Affordable housing comes in many forms. On the rudimentary level, there are public housing units that ideally, individuals who are below a certain income bracket are allowed to apply for. Public housing units are completely covered by the government, so occupants do not need to pay rent. Another form of affordable housing offers a rent rate that is considerably cheaper than the market standard. Oftentimes, municipal governments will require landlords of larger complexes like high-rise apartment buildings to dedicate a certain percentage of their units to be affordable housing units.

An affordable housing unit in Kitchener, Ontario (CTV News)

The concept of affordable housing intends to decrease homelessness, especially in urban areas. However, affordable housing deployed in current government models not only does not solve systemic homelessness and poverty, but also has other negative externalities.

So, what are the problems with affordable housing? One of the most prominent issues around affordable housing is how difficult it is to obtain one of these units. Because affordable housing is not popular among wealthier people who are part of neighborhood groups that have a say in local zoning laws, development projects for affordable housing are almost always vetoed. Furthermore, landlords dislike losing profits on units that will make less money, so they are unlikely to vote for bills that enforce mandatory affordable housing quotas. Also, because many times affordable housing projects are completely government funded, the government itself is unlikely to construct sufficient affordable housing units to house a considerable amount of people. All of these reasons mean that there are extremely long waiting lists for affordable housing applications, so even if an individual is lucky enough to even secure a unit, the waiting process takes time that many in vulnerable situations cannot afford to lose: Every single day out in the streets is another day of danger.

Another prominent issue with affordable housing is the location. Many affordable housing projects are very far from urban centers where jobs are more plentiful. This means that, especially in extremely car-dependent societies, vulnerable actors are still systemically ostracized from stable job opportunities because there are limited jobs in the area that they live, and they would likely need to purchase a car and pay for expensive gas to travel to urban centers five days a week to go to work.

On top of this, there is widespread criticism that the urban sprawl caused by affordable housing in gentrifying local areas. While this is not the most major concern, this argument is still significant. The “gentrification” of these previously suburban or rural areas would be less of a concern if the ares in which these affordable housing units were situated were invested in economically by local firms to create culturally and resourcefully rich neighborhoods. Unfortunately, local businesses will almost always prefer to set up shop in neighborhoods that are already wealthy because it yields more profit. This leaves affordable housing areas as desolate resource deserts that will be left behind in urban development.

Affordable housing projects are only effective when they are implemented within urban centers where jobs and resources are rich, on a large scale where they are accessible. Governments will only implement projects in this fashion when there is considerable demand for it among voters. Thus, although it is technically the onus of the government to reverse systemically oppressive legislature and help those who are disenfranchised, it is the onus of the voter to hold the government accountable.

Works Cited

“How the US Made Affordable Homes Illegal.” YouTube, 16 Aug. 2021, https://youtu.be/0Flsg_mzG-M.

“In Defense of the ‘Gentrification Building.’” YouTube, YouTube, 14 Feb. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEsC5hNfPU4.

Sandstrom, Alison. “Two New Affordable Housing Projects Announced in Kitchener.” Kitchener, CTV News, 7 Dec. 2022, https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/two-new-affordable- housing-projects-announced-in-kitchener-1.6184615.