The Affordable Housing Crisis - It Matters

The affordable housing market is in a crisis of epic proportions. For many years, affordable housing only applied to families or individuals with low income levels which were defined by HUD. What was considered making a modest living a few years ago, no longer provides you with enough income to live in a decent apartment or home, much less near a large metropolitan area.

Consider this…

A college student graduates and takes an entry level position making $13 an hour. That equates to $1,577 per month take home pay after taxes. The average one-bedroom apartment within 15 miles of downtown Charleston is $850 per month and that is just rent. This number doesn’t include utilities, groceries or gas for their car to travel the 30 miles per day to get back and forth to work. Not to mention car insurance, property taxes and/or a car payment. More than 50% of his/her income would go towards housing. This is a dynamic that is extremely difficult to overcome and can easily perpetuate itself from generation to generation. I used a college student for this example. Now, imagine a single mom with 3 children making the same wage. We see this on a regular basis at Habitat for Humanity Berkeley County. These individuals end up working 2-4 jobs and are unable to spend any time with their children. Furthermore, at the end of every month they have zero leftover and are always behind with no hope to catch up financially.

This is where affordable housing initiatives as well as non-profits like Habitat for Humanity Berkeley County can step in and change lives in an instant.

Facts:

·Our “qualified” homeowners will live in a brand new 1,100-1,300 square foot home.

·Our homeowners have a 25-year interest free mortgage for roughly $500 a month.

·The Habitat homes are Energy Star rated which makes the electric bill averages less than $100.

·Our homeowners will put in 350 sweat equity hours to help make their dream home come to fruition.

Think about the amount of money saved that can now be used to live a life without the stress of 2-4 jobs. Think about the mom who can stop working third shift to pay rent and can now be home with her children for dinner and nighttime rituals.

These facts may not seem like a big deal to some, but to many in our community and many other communities in the U.S., these Habitat for Humanity facts can and will change lives. Not just one life, but everyone living in the household because now they are not so much in survival mode, but thankful mode. These helpless and sometimes homeless individuals will now be strong contributors to our community.

We need to do all we can to support affordable housing initiatives as well as non-profits like Habitat for Humanity Berkeley County in order to make resources available to make the generational impacts on the families that live in our community and deserve a decent place to live. Our Habitat families are looking for a hand up and not a hand out. Will you offer them one?

We would be both honored and blessed to have you join our Habitat for Humanity Berkeley County family by volunteering and/or making a financial contribution to our mission. We feel our work is making a big difference in the lives of many and also in our community. Please visit our website at www.berkeleyhabitat.org to learn more about how YOU can help make an impact in the life of another.

George

#straightupblessed