How do we put housing within reach of everyone?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

To borrow from a candidate for New York’s governor in 2010, “The rent is too damn high.”

What was true in New York then, remains true today in Snohomish County, Washington state and elsewhere in the U.S.: The rent — and mortgages — are too damn high.

Clearly, with nearly half of Washington state households having to pay more than 30 percent of income for rent or mortgage payments — the level deemed “affordable” for housing — those costs are not only high but a burden to paying other expenses.

A panel discussion Thursday sponsored by The Daily Herald centered on the challenges in providing necessary assistance and in building an ample stock of housing that can help keep rents and mortgages affordable. As well, the discussion outlined policies and efforts being employed to address assistance and the need for additional housing and proposals for future legislation and programs.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-how-do-we-put-housing-within-reach-of-everyone/

[Aristus]

1. Find out how many of these "I'm sick of all the damned homeless encampment!" types

are landlords. Then get them to put up or shut up. Make your housing affordable, or STFU.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Stop with the gentrification and start with the conversion, renovation, and re-purposing

Office and retail space are emptying out. There should be community housing loans for developers to convert. This only happens here or there.

[BlueIn_W_Pa]

3. Stop the private wealth funds from buying homes

and turning them into rentals...

[PBC_Democrat]

4. It's a simple SUPPLY vs DEMAND equation

When DEMAND exceeds SUPPLY - prices go up
When SUPPLY exceeds DEMAND - prices go down.

You can't fault landlords for wanting to get market-value for their property.

The answer --- create more housing.