I remember the day my family entered the Salvation Army shelter in Charlotte, NC in the summer of 1993. My family was assigned a bunk bed in the large room filled with women and children of various ages, races and circumstances. The metal bunk beds were like army barracks, cold and sterile. My little sister and I shared the top bunk, and my mom and infant brother slept on the bottom bunk. And just like in the army, lights went out early and came on even earlier at 5:00am. Everyone ate and showered at the same time, and everyone hoped their stay would be short. Many make assumptions on how people end up living in a shelter. For my family, the answer was simple – we could not afford housing. My mom worked at a department store full-time, but the cost of living increased faster than her salary.
Some will say just get a better job to afford housing. Is housing a commodity that is only for those that can afford it, or is it a right that should be afforded to all people? Sadly, the answer will depend on who you ask. In my opinion, it is a human right, but we treat housing as a commodity.
This idea impacts homeownership, often considered the key to “generational wealth”. Can a home’s equity support economic mobility and create economic stability? Absolutely. Will a single home purchase by a limited income family magically create generational wealth in one generation? Highly unlikely. The focus on the financial gain of homeownership has masked its social-emotional benefits. Homeownership improves stability, educational outcomes and community strength. These are benefits to society, not just an individual’s financial well-being. If we focus on housing’s societal benefit, there may be more effort to make it accessible to more people. Some have argued that if you just loosen regulations on building to increase supply, prices will naturally decrease. But housing is a necessity; therefore there is inelastic demand. The demand remains no matter the price. Limited income families who rely on down payment assistance programs and affordable mortgage products feel even more the burden of rapidly increasing property values and insurance premiums, transforming a “dream home” into a financial nightmare.
Renting is also becoming out of reach for many people. As a commodity, housing developers inflate construction costs on tax-credit deals to obtain the biggest returns, with construction costs exceeding $300k per unit in Houston. Landlords refuse vouchers or accept them while inflating rents. Landlords of naturally occurring affordable housing allow buildings to fall into disrepair as renters will overlook sub-par conditions simply to keep a roof over their head they can afford.
When housing is seen as a commodity for builders, government, landlords, and owners, that promise of profit shapes unaffordable, poor quality, and unstable housing. When housing is seen as a right, its value and benefit to society extends beyond a financial return on investment and changes how we steward it. As Executive Director of the Houston Community Land Trust (HCLT), we steward property for the benefit of community. The Community Land Trust model is just one tool to disrupt the housing system by placing the control of land and properties in the hands of those who have a vested interest in the community, making development more equitable. Houston CLT has created over 200 quality, permanently affordable homes for limited income Houstonians that have been priced out of the market. We remove control of land from speculators and center the needs and wants of those often overlooked in the traditional housing market. While we cannot completely change the way housing development is conducted, we can use tools such as the CLT model to create space for housing that is accessible, safe, sanitary and stable for all income levels.
When my family entered the Salvation Army, we were not thinking about getting a house we could sell for a profit. We were not looking for a luxury rental with a state-of-the-art fitness center and rooftop pool. We wanted quality housing without fear of property taxes, insurance and rent hikes pushing us out of our home. We do not have to completely remove financial gain from affordable housing development; however, we cannot place profit over people. For those non-profits, community development organizations, government entities who influence affordable housing, ask yourself: Is your project prioritizing profit or people? Are you promoting housing as a commodity to be bought and sold or are you providing a basic human right needed for all societies to thrive?
Dr. Ashley Paige Allen serves as Executive Director of the Houston Community Land Trust (HCLT), which has provided permanently affordable homeownership to over 200 limited-income Houston families since 2019. Her experience as a homeless youth ignited her passion to help increase housing accessibility and affordability for those that need it most. Dr. Allen has 20 years of nonprofit leadership and program development experience in the areas of education, S.T.E.M., workforce development and affordable housing. Dr. Allen holds a bachelor’s from Florida A&M University, a master’s in public administration from Governors State University, and a doctorate from Loyola University in Chicago.