In the past month, I've heard through social media of two long-time residents of our local community each desperately searching for a new place to rent. Since I live and work in a resort community, I'm unfortunately used to problems with housing, particularly housing for those who are not the highest level wage earners in our community. The problem with a lack of affordable housing in mountain communities stretches back decades and arches over states. It also brings back the memories of my own brush with the monster of "market value" a little over 7 years ago.
A brief recap of our personal tale began while we had a newborn and two elementary-aged children. We lived in an apartment complex, in a three-bedroom apartment, in what was designated an affordable housing complex. Since this complex was built by the Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic Charity, in the 90's, it offered residents with low to moderate income in our communities a place to live that was within reach of their means. After a few years living there, we found out that we were receiving a 47% rent increase, due to start within 30 days. The feeling behind that number was panic and chaos. Fortunately in our case, we were grateful to find new, more cramped accommodations in another town close by. The reason for the increase? The property had been sold, and so a "market adjustment" was performed. A "market adjustment" that wound up forcing ourselves and several other residents to move.
Our family's long term housing story looks much more bright these days, as we are nearing completion of the home we've been building these last 7 years. We're one of the lucky few who have stumbled upon a personal solution to our community's housing crisis, and I have to admit, I do have a bit of survivor's guilt associated with that. I certainly recognize becoming a homeowner-builder isn't a path that most other people would be able to take, especially as buildable lots (not owned by developers) have both dwindled in numbers and skyrocketed in price. Increases in building costs, supply chain issues, and the increasingly formiable regulatory processes now make an already challenging task a Herculean effort. Even though I am a very positive, persistent person, if I had to start this build now, I probably simply wouldn't.
Ironically, new building in our county is going like mad. Unfortunately, for the folks who need housing most, the working class, it seems to be a case of "water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink." While there is new construction occurring in most towns in our area, the focus has been largely on luxury, high-end houses and condos, with few, if any, units being added that could be considered truly affordable or attainable.
Of course, it is clear from a solely fiscal point of view why the working class is de-prioritized in the housing conversation. There is certainly much more money to be made from building high-end dwellings. More recently, though, it feel like our community has moved from ignoring the issues of housing for the working class to actively contributing harm. There has been a disturbing trend in the area of buying up trailer parks and apartment complexes, tearing them down, and building new luxury condos, apartments or single-family homes. In a nearby resort town, many folks had to leave the area or even the state because their trailer park was sold out from under them. One person was unable to move his trailer to a park in an adjacent town because it just was a couple years too old for that particular park's covenants. At my own trailer park, "unsightly" fixer uppers were pulled down to appease code enforcement, eliminating potential units. Talk about failures of our bureaucracy.
When desirability couples with a lack of available units, it drives the increase of rents for even those who still have units to live in. That monster "market value" destroys a renter's peace of mind right alongside of their fiscal stability. Competition in the rental market begins to make the dream of a roof over your head a pipe dream (not even that loftier goal of home ownership, something that many folks here have had to flat out give up on).
Take the number you are paying for your current home right now. Now, multiply it by 47%, the increase we personally had. Or double it. I've heard folks tell me this has happened to them. Could you still afford it at the drop of a hat? Now, consider the folks who are most likely to have to weather these increases are the ones who are least likely to have the money to do so. Many members of the working class here are already grinding away at multiple jobs. The physical, spiritual and mental health implications of trying to increase the number of hours or the number of jobs held ad infinitum just to keep paying the landlord is huge. Facing potential homelessness is also traumatic for people, especially children, and the cold overnight temperatures of the Rocky Mountains could literally kill people without shelter.
A philosophical (or lack of philosophical) shift affects the very groundwork of our housing throughout America, not just in here in Resort Country, Colorado. Our thinking about housing has become twisted in our homeland by losing the sight of the home. Instead, the view of home is replaced by an overarching demand for financial performance. Homes are investments, gobbled up by investors. Instead of thinking of a house as having an inherent value of its own, as a place to be lived in by a person who in turn needs a place to live, we drive to squeeze as much possible monetary compensation from a place while losing nearly all of our focus on its true inherent value, that of a dwelling. The value of a home is first and foremost a place of stability. It is a place that protects its inhabitants from both the weather and the unknown. Shelter is always a necessary thing for humans. We have been living in various types of shelter from our beginnings, but modern people are no longer able to just supply this necessity for ourselves. Houses have always been a wealth generating tool, but now we act like this is their sole purpose.
I am not a person who is interested in class warfare. I don't want to tear down the affluent. I don't want to drive the second homeowners, vacationers, tourists and upstarts out of our area. But, we have to do better at looking at the whole equation when it comes to what our community needs and how we need to accomplish a well rounded plan with adequate units available for each class of citizen. We can start by stopping the practice of tearing down the homes of some unfortunate folks to build homes for those who don't even need homes. It is a philosophical shift, but we need to stop de-prioritizing the needs of those who aren't the wealthiest, because wealth is not the sole measure of our community.
When we place all of our value on homes in the considering of what they can make for us financially, we're missing the mark by a long shot. We're focused on an investment, not a place to live. We're missing the purpose behind homes for as long as people have built them. And that creates a type of blindness.
I've found this blog harder to write than most. First of all, the complexity of the issues at hand means that there are many directions that I could take this concept. Then, there is the emotion of remembering our own frantic move. The fear and horror of watching more of the same unfold again and again. Seeing post after post online of folks who've had their place sold out from under them. Those things can start to add up to a discouraging "nothing ever changes" feeling of powerlessness. You can see why I've had to stop myself from writing many times, to come up for air. Lastly, I don't feel like I know or can pinpoint a certain solution- my typical approach in my blog- point to something positive or a specific path that I could see to get us out of our housing problems. However, instead of doing that, instead of focusing on the practical, I'm going to ask us to change our hearts.
What if people acted towards groceries in the way they are acting towards housing? We would not stand for it. What if the locals were told we could only shop last, after all of the others had gotten their fill, and too bad if there is no milk and eggs left? Then imagine a carton of eggs. Of the dozen, only 2 of the eggs were eaten and the rest have been left to spoil. Someone wanted to make a bowl of cereal with a cup of the milk- and now the rest of the gallon curdles in the fridge. There are no apples left, but there are apples left for the right person. We'd go to buy a loaf of bread, but we'd leave hungry because we were outbid and someone else was willing and able to pay $500 for it. Not only does this portrait look foolish; this portrait looks wasteful. And it hurts my heart. I suppose it is a little simplistic, and I'm not pushing for huge governmental reforms or redistribution schemes. But if you are one of the group of people that have agency, will you keep in mind that we can never have homes for our workforce community to live in if we never build them, or if we never save them from destruction?
Each time I receive a post card from one of our local realtors stating that housing prices have increased 16% from year to year, it makes my heart sink. I want to gnash my teeth and howl. It feels like gasoline's being thrown on a dumpster fire. If you are one of the many who've been impacted by our housing crisis, I see you. Tell your story.
