Makeda Marshall- NeSmith’s Post

What is the role of government in addressing our housing challenges? Professor Lily Geismer encourages a turn toward European-style social housing, saying in her article: "This vision of social housing has a chance to undo the mistakes of the postwar era, which stigmatized public housing, and produced substandard and segregated residences for only the poorest of Americans. But for such programs to truly solve the affordable housing crisis, the federal government needs to be involved. The scope of the problem is simply too large for states and localities to tackle. Imaging and designing a federal initiative will take policymakers who can think big, while learning from the mistakes of the post-WWII housing projects. Crucially, they should follow the lead of local housing activists who see housing as a right, not a commodity."

Fixing our Nation's Housing Crisis and lack of growing Equity and Home Ownership is one of my passions...looking forward to diving into this updated research from the Terner Center at UC Berkeley this week! Wish I was there in the warmth to do it! lol Stay warm Y'all!!! https://lnkd.in/gKHVgJrx #HomeOwnershipMatters #HousingAdvocacy #WhyWeWorkHardToAdvocate #AmericanDream #Equity #ThielTeam #RealBrokerLLC #WisconsinRealEstate #MadisonRealEstate #Housing #HousingCrisis #appropriatehousing #appropriatedevelopment #development #HousingPolicy

"Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." History is available for us to take note of and learn from as we work to create better solutions. Our country continues to grapple with the housing crisis which seems to only be getting worse. This article speaks to many attempts, both successful and unsuccessful in the past, which we can draw from. A through line for me is bold and creative public private partnerships with a focus on creating what I like to call parity zones. Place based revitalization development which empowers low to moderate income families with affordable housing right in the center of where the highest paying jobs and access to capital and resources for entrepreneurial innovation is readily available. Couple that with a pathway to ownership and multigenerational wealth creation and transfer. # EconomicParity #AffordableHousing #RealEstate #UrbanRevitalization

How does a city go about creating more affordable housing? Simple answer, be the developer and take equity in the deal. Rachel Cohen of Vox wrote a wonderful piece on Montgomery County Government's development of affordable housing. By building up a balance sheet of real estate equity the county can capture those monies and reinvest in public goods. City of Boston, City of Atlanta, and Government of the District of Columbia are looking to this as an alternative worth pursuing as well. It's time for cities and local governments to think critically about how they can participate in this high-interest rate environment. For the first time in years, affordable housing is perhaps more incentivized for developers than market-rate housing. https://lnkd.in/g4D82bZw #housing #cities #municipalbonds #finance #affordablehousing #planning

A good overview - and a quick read on just one of the impediments to providing affordable housing opportunities. NIMBY stands for “Not in My Back Yard.” In the housing world it’s used to describe people, typically existing homeowners, who oppose new housing development near their homes—particularly denser or more affordable housing. The NIMBY's argument base against affordable is often fueled by misconceptions about what affordable housing actually is, who is going to live there, how the properties are managed, and what it means in terms of neighborhood noise, traffic, crime, and [their]property values. Institutional NIMBYism is sometimes expressed through exclusionary zoning, keeping affordable housing out of certain communities altogether.

Are rising costs in affordable housing development always waste? 📈 This piece, written by Miriam Axel-Lute, delves into this complex issue. Join the discussion as we dissect common misconceptions and shed light on the true challenges of cost containment. Read here: https://bit.ly/4849EHT #AffordableHousing #Development #HousingCosts

There are always multiple sides, or arguments, on the drivers of cost of affordable housing units, but as noted in this article, “they conflate things that add cost in the short term but save cost in the long view with things that add cost but have little long-haul benefit.” When 40% of development costs of affordable housing is driven by government regulations, there is room to reduce costs AND build high quality units. Tell me what you think of the attached article and what reasonates.

Public and social housing is even more meaningful today than when originally created. Americans need affordable, consistent, and available housing for our nation to thrive and our children to be successful. https://lnkd.in/g_gWCV7E

2024 and this is still a theme locally, regionally, and nationwide. The language is so similar now there are memes. There are avenues for legitimate debate - is safe and affordable housing a fundamental human right? Is LIHTC the absolute best and most efficient method to create affordable housing? Philosophers and economists can weigh in with lengthy tomes in their journals. But for those with boots on the ground, we use the tools and means at our disposal, try to advance new and creative ways, and pave a path forward. Housing helps communities. Full stop. It creates vibrancy, fiscal resiliency, allows our seniors dignity, allows a strong workforce, and promotes educational achievement for children. https://lnkd.in/evT-Esf7

And for some in-depth analysis of how this well-capitalized public developer could make a transformative difference, check out https://lnkd.in/eAb78EWk. Yes, we ran the numbers!