Housing is Everyone's Concern!

NIMBYism is best understood as a rational response to the risk of uncontrollable change to one’s neighborhood, which can have both economic and emotional consequences.

--This might be an economic impact on the value of one’s property (for home owners), or (for renters) one’s ability to continue to afford to live in a neighborhood;

--It might have an emotional impact on memories of home and a sense of place;

--It might create uncertain risks on the ability of local schools or roads to cope; and

--If change is uncertain, then no change is often more certain and more controllable.

No. Between 2020 and 2050, Sussex County is forecasted to need 17,597 new household units.

A good article is Overcoming the Nation's Daunting Housing Supply Shortage.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), Housing is the key to reducing intergenerational poverty and increasing economic mobility. Research shows that increasing access to affordable housing is the most cost-effective strategy for reducing childhood poverty and increasing economic mobility in the United States. Stanford economist Raj Chetty found that children who moved to lower poverty neighborhoods saw their earnings as adults increase by approximately 31%, an increased likelihood of living in better neighborhoods as adults, and a lowered likelihood of becoming a single parent. Moreover, children living in stable, affordable homes are more likely to thrive in school and have greater opportunities to learn inside and outside the classroom.

Increasing access to affordable housing bolsters economic growth. Research shows that the shortage of affordable housing costs the American economy about $2 trillion a year in lower wages and productivity. Without affordable housing, families have constrained opportunities to increase earnings, causing slower GDP growth. In fact, researchers estimate that the growth in GDP between 1964 and 2009 would have been 13.5% higher if families had better access to affordable housing. This would have led to a $1.7 trillion increase in income, or $8,775 in additional wages per worker. Moreover, each dollar invested in affordable housing boosts local economies by leveraging public and private resources to generate income—including resident earnings and additional local tax revenue—and supports job creation and retention.

Zoning was first established in cities for health reasons and to separate housing from polluting industrial areas. However, over time, restrictions on height, number of homes per lot, lot sizes, and other parcel and city features now make it difficult to build housing that is affordable where it is most needed. The vast majority of residentially zoned land in Sussex County can only have a single family home on it, prohibiting missing middle housing options.

To build a home, developers must go through several stages of discretionary review, which may include Planning & Zoning Commissions and Councils. Click here for the Building Permit Process for Sussex County, but each municipality may have its own process. The image to the right provides the basic process. Although there are rules in place, these bodies may subjectively decide whether or not to allow the project to proceed, even if the developer follows all the written rules.

Each stage of discretionary review is an opportunity for opponents of new housing ("NIMBYs" for "Not In My Back Yard") to speak against a project. These opponents are often unrepresentative of their communities. This uncertainty often kills projects, and even when a project makes it through, these discretionary steps have often added months or years to the process, delaying the time until new residents can be housed and adding to the cost of development.

Streamlining the process by guaranteeing approval to projects that comply with state and local rules has grown the housing stock.

A large and growing academic literature reveals that lack of housing directly causes high housing costs.

A 2016 report from the Obama White House described the problem of high housing costs:

In just the last 10 years, the number of very low-income renters paying more than half their income for rent has increased by almost 2.5 million households, to 7.7 million nationwide, in part because barriers to housing development are limiting housing supply. Since 1960, the share of renters paying more than 30 percent of their income for rent has more than doubled from 24 percent to 49 percent. And over that time, real household income increased by 18 percent, but inflation adjusted rents rose by 64 percent.

The White House continued, citing three academic sources:

Barriers to housing development are exacerbating the housing affordability crisis, particularly in vibrant regions with high job growth and few rental vacancies.

A 2019 study from the Upjohn Institute found that:...

new construction reduces demand and loosens the housing market in low- and middle-income areas, even in the short run.

A 2019 NYU study found that

new housing development reduced rents in the immediate vicinity, even as it also attracted new restaurants. Specifically:...for every 10% increase in the housing stock, rents decrease 1% and sales prices also decrease within 500 feet…Opposing such development may exacerbate the housing affordability crisis and increase housing cost burdens for local renters.

A 2018 Northwestern study also found that:

...on average and in the short-run — new construction lowers rents in gentrifying neighborhoods.

The housing market is closely linked to consumer spending. When house prices go up, homeowners become better off and feel more confident. Some people will borrow more against the value of their home, either to spend on goods and services, renovate their house, supplement their pension, or pay off other debt. Rising house prices can also redistribute wealth within an economy – increasing the wealth of homeowners (primarily older people), but reducing effective living standards for those who do not own a house (often the young)

When house prices go down, homeowners risk that their house will be worth less than their outstanding mortgage. People are therefore more likely to cut down on spending and hold off from making personal investments. A sharp drop in house prices adversely affects consumer confidence, construction and leads to lower economic growth. (falling house prices can contribute to economic recession)

Homelessness in the United States is the most visible and jarring expression of housing insecurity, yet millions of people across the nation live in unstable housing conditions. These financially insecure people and families must often double or triple up with other people in housing designed for single families or single people. Many are living in their cars, outside encampments, or in temporary shelters. And many more are just one paycheck or one emergency away from losing their apartment or home.The answer to homelessness is housing. The answer to unaffordable housing is to make housing affordable through rent control, debt relief, and living wages.

The causes of homelessness are complex.

The most common reason for homelessness is a lack of affordable housing. When people cannot afford to pay their rent or mortgage, their options for shelter are dramatically limited, especially if they are unemployed. It’s no secret that the cost of housing has been on the rise for years, and this is especially true in major cities. There is a limited supply of affordable housing in these cities, and homeless people are not the only ones who compete for it. Even families with some income can find themselves struggling to afford a place to live.

Poverty is also a significant contributor to homelessness. People living in poverty are often unable to make ends meet, especially when faced with additional expenses such as illness or job loss. In many cases, people living in poverty find themselves in a downward spiral, unable to afford basic necessities like food and shelter.

There is abundant evidence about the health consequences of homelessness. At a fundamental level, the homeless have higher premature mortality than those who are appropriately housed, with injuries, unintentional overdose, and extreme weather events being important drivers of this mortality. The homeless also have poor quality of life, characterized, as noted in various studies, by chronic pain associated with poor sleeping conditions and limited access to medications and other salutary resources. Skin and foot problems, dental problems, and chronic infectious diseases are also well-described among homeless populations.

Homelessness is overwhelmingly coincident with socioeconomic vulnerability and with poor behavioral health, both mental illness and substance use, which leads to the approach we might consider taking to mitigate the consequences of homelessness.

High Housing Costs Worsen Traffic

Traffic is often cited as a reason not to build housing. Add more residents to an area, the logic goes, and you put more cars on the road. But there's evidence that not building housing can make traffic worse. When people can't afford to live near jobs, they move somewhere cheaper and drive to work.

Employers Need Workers At All Wage Levels

High housing costs are a major problem for employers — from the federal government to your local hardware store.

Both the public and private sectors rely on low-wage work. Fortune 500 companies and federal agencies employ low-paid contract workers like security guards and maintenance teams. Retailers need cashiers and restaurants need servers. The fast-growing hospitality industry depends on line cooks, room cleaners and bellhops.

Cost-burdened People Buy Less Stuff

Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of economic activity in the U.S. That's another reason a lack of affordable housing can hurt local businesses and the regional economy.

Housing is a social determinant of health (see image for Dr Tiny's view of housing affects health). A safe house away from potential hazards can promote well-being. However, living in unsafe or unsuitable housing conditions may contribute to health inequities and be a factor in health problems, such as chronic diseases ie hypertension ,asthma. A healthy home needs to have sound structure, to be free of hazards, to provide adequate facilities for sleeping, personal hygiene, the preparation and storage of food, to be an environment for comfortable relaxation, for privacy and quiet, and to provide the facility for social exchange with friends, family and others.  The local environment is also important in determining such factors as fear of crime, access to local services and facilities and in promoting social interaction.

In the midst of pandemics ie COVID, it is critical that families have a home in which to shelter to prevent further spread of this dangerous virus. Associated stress from increased rents and lack of stability can cause depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia.

Homeless individuals also overuse emergency services, leading to higher treatment costs. Numerous evidence-based strategies are being employed to end homelessness by increasing access to housing options and supportive services for housing stability.

When people are homeless, they are more likely to interact with the justice system because they are forced to live outside, which can result in citations or arrests for low-level offenses like loitering or sleeping in parks. And people currently or previously involved in the justice system, who are often disconnected from supports and face housing and job discrimination, are more likely to experience homelessness.

Researchers found that closing large public housing developments and dispersing former residents throughout a wider portion of the city was associated with net reductions in violent crime, at the city level

Effects of Crime Rates on Property Sales

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