Brian,
Having been involved with an affordable housing program here in Muncie, I
can offer this:
Higher levels of ownership leads to a higher quality housing stock.
Absentee owners (typical in poor renter-dominated areas) will not adequately
maintain their properties, especially if their revenues are reduced by
overly strict rent control legislation.
I'm guessing that your inventory will show that the units in worst condition
will be the rental units. They're holding back the rest of the community.
If your jurisdiction has the balls to do it, they'll start condemning
abandoned properties, acquire any vacant lots they can, and start a process
of constructing affordable housing units FOR OWNERSHIP.
Actually, that's just one way. There's alot of different approaches that can
be taken, and the actual process will depend on your resources. Here, we've
been pretty lucky to do our program on almost all-private funding and a
variety of partnerships. You may find likewise.
I'd recommend completing your inventory of the stock, then of available
resources. A strategic plan is vital, and would be best if done as the
result of a community-participatory process.
If you'll send me your snail address off-list, I can send you a couple
papers that describe some of the issues involved.
Remember above all else: OWNERSHIP IS THE KEY.
Mark Darrall
Muncie Urban Design Studio
Ball State University
Having been involved with an affordable housing program here in Muncie, I
can offer this:
Higher levels of ownership leads to a higher quality housing stock.
Absentee owners (typical in poor renter-dominated areas) will not adequately
maintain their properties, especially if their revenues are reduced by
overly strict rent control legislation.
I'm guessing that your inventory will show that the units in worst condition
will be the rental units. They're holding back the rest of the community.
If your jurisdiction has the balls to do it, they'll start condemning
abandoned properties, acquire any vacant lots they can, and start a process
of constructing affordable housing units FOR OWNERSHIP.
Actually, that's just one way. There's alot of different approaches that can
be taken, and the actual process will depend on your resources. Here, we've
been pretty lucky to do our program on almost all-private funding and a
variety of partnerships. You may find likewise.
I'd recommend completing your inventory of the stock, then of available
resources. A strategic plan is vital, and would be best if done as the
result of a community-participatory process.
If you'll send me your snail address off-list, I can send you a couple
papers that describe some of the issues involved.
Remember above all else: OWNERSHIP IS THE KEY.
Mark Darrall
Muncie Urban Design Studio
Ball State University