Understanding how attainable housing affects the community.
Attainable housing. The word seems to be a major topic of discussion nowadays, but what does it mean?
The Basics of Attainable Housing
Attainable housing doesn’t only mean affordable rents and mortgages. This term also means having access to quality healthcare, a reasonable commute to work, availability of educational opportunities and so much more. Attainable housing even means having the right amount of space for your family which can too often be too small or too large depending on the availability of housing on the market.
Attainable housing applies to apartments and homes alike and can be a part of a much larger community issue. You’ve seen it yourself. The “We’re Hiring” signs up for months, the long waiting list of 6 plus months to get a doctor appointment, and the lack of business services being offered. Without sufficient housing for employees, employers in Prescott Valley experience labor shortages. This expands from hospitals to firefighters, first responders, and small businesses.
What is “Home is where it all starts” doing to help?
The first step for communities to drive change toward housing is to reframe the conversation. Public education campaigns such as “Home is where it all starts” are working to educate residents, businesses, and community builders about the importance of discussing attainable housing. Amy St. Peter, Deputy Executive Director of the Maricopa Association of Governments, and an advocate for “Home is where it all starts,” explains, “We very much wanted to develop a robust public education campaign that would increase acceptance of having that variety of housing options in each community. So can we build housing that is more accessible, more affordable to folks and really doing so in a responsible, thoughtful way […].”
Amy says that one of the main goals of the campaign aims to start conversations about attainable housing among the public and communities state-wide. Our communities, businesses, and legislators can then begin to have constructive conversations about, “What kind of housing do we want in our communities, what kind of housing do we need in our communities, what’s the best way to construct that housing, and what’s the best way to retain the availability of that housing?” Amy noted.
What can you do?
Home is where it all starts™ also outlines some key takeaways for individual residents wanting to make an impact in their communities. Members of the public can help drive attainable housing to their communities by participating in the following ways:
- Talk about affordable rents and mortgages instead of affordable housing.
- Read HIWAS data and learn about the impact of homes that meet all of our needs.
- Be vocal about your support for housing legislation that meets all of our needs.
Learn more about our collective of champions for housing and discover how you can help at: www.homeiswhereitallstarts.org.
As a community builder at Fain Signature Group, we are focused on designing with community. We understand the dire need for affordable rents and mortgages in our community and set forth to create attainable housing through a community project, Lakeshore650. You can find more information about this project at Lakeshore650.com.
