I don’t understand the whole housing thing. Builders today seem to erect nothing but the most expensive dwellings–at least in this country–and who can really afford them?
Who really needs a house with ceilings twice one’s height, which sap all the heat in winter (because heat rises) and collect dust bunnies where the average dry mop can’t reach? How much floor space does a person need between the side of the bed and the closet? Unless you’re a public figure, such as an actor or television personality, do you need that closet to be the size of a garage? And how many average citizens plop a bag from the local drive-through onto that must-have kitchen preparation island instead of actually preparing a meal on it?
In addition to those over-padded palaces called single family homes these days, the alternatives are limited. There are people who make, in a week, only a third of the amount needed for the average apartment’s monthly rent, yet housing in this land seems to cater only to the upper echelon. In states like New Jersey, the cost of living is forcing residents to relocate elsewhere. In California houses stand empty while families with women and children live in tents. In the poorest cities, the lower income families get some aid, but for the rest of us in the middle of the curve, keeping a roof over our heads is a nightmare. Mortgage problems were just the start of the crisis, and the price gouging is not solving the issue of where to put people who just can’t afford what is currently on the market.
Where are the houses for the increasing population of single persons over 25 and under 55? I see a lot of housing projects going up for seniors, and those 18-24 get their share because they often room together and split the cost, but there is a growing niche being left out of the basic right to shelter. I’m one of them, and I have met quite a few people in the same situation. We want to downsize if we’re couples, or just live in a few comfortable rooms if we’re alone. The post-war tract homes were perfect for so many families, and could be just the right size for the new generation, but new construction is obviously not geared to the middle class.
The United States gives readily to the world when disaster displaces people from their homes, but sapping huge sums of money from our own citizens for expensive housing nobody really needs is hedonistic, wasteful and a disgrace when so many of our own people need a place to live. There should be housing at a level affordable to any working citizen based on take-home income. If one has a job here, they should have an inalienable right to a place to live here. It shouldn’t be too much to ask for a safe, efficient dwelling with running water and electricity. Once the housing power brokers understand that, the problem may begin to turn around. Meanwhile, the roofs over our heads are leaking pennies every second, and the people standing out in the cold can’t catch them to put them to good use.
Susan's Scribblings the Blog 