Housing is a major issue for all non home owner. It often takes up more than one-third of a family’s paycheck. Some people may ask why is it so hard to buy a house in the United States? Isn’t is an American Dream? It is true that many people dream about owning their own home; however, it is not possible for everyone due to poverty or housing segregation. Sometimes, people cannot even find or afford a proper place to live. So they have to either live on the streets, or in motels or shelter. Historically speaking, United States have a long history in housing segregation which forced minority to concentrate in ghetto and hinder their ability to purchase a house. The global economic recession is also a factor that drives up the housing segregation and rate in homelessness.
In pre Civil War era, slaves and masters lived in separated quarters and it stayed the same way even after the Civil War. African Americans were often found themselves in very poor housing condition with concentrated blackness in one area. They could not find better housing option because many places set up rules to forbidden them to enter. During the post World War II period, the GI Bill was not fully benefitting everyone. African Americans still found themselves to be denied from the benefit. They did not receive any mortgage to purchase houses in the newly built suburban and they found themselves back to the urban center with poor housing condition. This did not solely happen to African Americans, but to many minorities as well. Banks practiced redlining to prevent handing out loans to minority so they could not purchase a house of their dreams. Redlining was still in practice today; it could not be completely eliminated without proper government overreach. Many housing discriminations could not be solved by private sectors alone. Government has to set up necessary policies to prevent companies to do so. According to Washington-based Urban Institute, “… racial and ethnic minorities continue to face ‘subtle forms of housing denial’ by real estate and brokers and apartment owners, even though ‘blatant’ acts of racial discrimination are declining.” These subprime loans led to the mortgage crisis during the economic recession which forced many people to leave their homes and became homeless.
Homelessness has always been an issue for this country. In the current economy, it is hard to find affordable housing with decent living condition. Many rental houses and apartment take out more than one-third of a family’s monthly paycheck. In addition to the mortgage crisis, many families become homeless because their rental homes are foreclosed. According to HUD’s 2012 study, more than 66% of families lived with a friend or relative before moving into a shelter. When they move into a shelter, some people said they give up dignity. Many people rather stay on the street or live in a motel if they still have cash. There is no definite way to end homelessness because different people are losing their jobs each day. Without a steady cash flow, it is hard to rent a home monthly. For other people, lack of education or trauma lead to poverty and then lead to them being homeless. Shelters have implanted on-site job training and support programs to get them back on their feet. HUD’s Housing First program is a great way for homeless people to return to normal lives, but it tends to be very costly to do that. Housing sources are tight because real estate developers do not wish to minimize their profit. The government should set up incentive for private sectors to provide more affordable housing The Affordable Housing program in New York City is a great example which prevents low-income families from being homeless. At the same time, the city government gives the developers tax break for each unit they have provided.
Discrimination in housing and homelessness often goes hand in hand together. If there is less housing discrimination, people are able to find housing everywhere with reasonable price. Homelessness would decrease because some people would not have to pay extraordinary prices to live in certain area. As the economy is recovering, people can find more stable jobs to provide them with consistent income for housing. However, the government would still need to work on policies to help minorities, especially people with disability and from disadvantageous background, with more affordable housing. The current housing price is beyond the capability of many minimum wage workers. People would return to shelters if the rent or mortgage exceed their monthly paycheck.
