What to do about Affordable Housing in Arlington?

[Anonymous]

A new thread from the APS thread. Remember, affordable housing policy is school policy.

[Anonymous]

that is the problem, poor people will always bring poor people problems such as under performance at school. The problem with Arlington is there simply isn't that many schools and only couple of good ones which become targets by the have-nots who have enough votes to push changes through the county gov. There will always be upper class SFHs in N Arlington, the question is does it become like Alexandria which wasn't able to protect it's schools and now has a "private school culture" or do they hold on as long as possible and keep their legacy HHI segregation policies that effect the schools. They could also do what MoCo is doing and double down on special programs and magnets for the upper middle class to stash their kids in to keep them separated.

Or the population can accept that urban and rich, white enclaves can't really exist together without oppressive policies that are basically unfair. These policies pick winners and the results are losers who are typically the people often propped up to be the losers for must of the American grind.

[Anonymous]

IIUC Arlington is steadily losing market rate affordable housing, as the last cheap SFH areas in South Arlington gentrify, and as some older apartment complexes are renovated and move upmarket. So really all the guaranteed AH programs are doing is slowing the rate at which the number of poor families increase.

There may be issues about where those guaranteed AH units go, if they are too concentrated in particular locations, but the notion that Arlington is somehow going to be transformed by an influx of poor people goes beyond silly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: does it become like Alexandria which wasn't able to protect it's schools and now has a "private school culture"

Many of Alexandria's schools are utilized by Alexandrians of a range of incomes and races.

[Anonymous]

The County Board is doing plenty to ensure affordable housing stays in Arlington. Another new building is opening in a month on Carlin Springs Road; new apartment buildings will be required to do affordable housing set asides; another new building is underway at the west end of Columbia Pike.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:that is the problem, poor people will always bring poor people problems such as under performance at school. The problem with Arlington is there simply isn't that many schools and only couple of good ones which become targets by the have-nots who have enough votes to push changes through the county gov. There will always be upper class SFHs in N Arlington, the question is does it become like Alexandria which wasn't able to protect it's schools and now has a "private school culture" or do they hold on as long as possible and keep their legacy HHI segregation policies that effect the schools. They could also do what MoCo is doing and double down on special programs and magnets for the upper middle class to stash their kids in to keep them separated.

Or the population can accept that urban and rich, white enclaves can't really exist together without oppressive policies that are basically unfair. These policies pick winners and the results are losers who are typically the people often propped up to be the losers for must of the American grind.

Your grammar, it hurts.

[Anonymous]

^^^ ESL MONA?

[Anonymous]

The net loss of units is all that the AH advocates care about. They don't care about concentrated poverty and its secondary effects. Until we can start having an honest conversation about the current policies, more liberals will start to openly question the county's priorities.

[Anonymous]

Serious question

Why do we need affordable housing at all

It just creates artificial floors, screws the middle class who make just over the income cutoff. People don't have right to live anywhere

Is this some liberal white guilt thing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^ ESL MONA?

Communications Major, Longwood, MONA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question

Why do we need affordable housing at all

It just creates artificial floors, screws the middle class who make just over the income cutoff. People don't have right to live anywhere

Is this some liberal white guilt thing?

It may have started as a liberal white thing, but in order to obtain Federal government subsidies for many programs, the Feds are requiring that a certain percentage of housing in areas be affordable. No affordable housing, no government tit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question

Why do we need affordable housing at all

It just creates artificial floors, screws the middle class who make just over the income cutoff. People don't have right to live anywhere

Is this some liberal white guilt thing?

It may have started as a liberal white thing, but in order to obtain Federal government subsidies for many programs, the Feds are requiring that a certain percentage of housing in areas be affordable. No affordable housing, no government tit.

I'm all for AH. I just want it to be mixed income, so that we're not economically segregating people or sheltering one area of the county from having AH.

[Anonymous]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/05/26/for-many-poor-families-housing-costs-are-out-of-reach/

Again do people have the right to live wherever they want to??

people move to lower cost areas if they can't afford to live somewhere

P.S. there are thousands of families living on less than 65k in dc

[Anonymous]

I'm totally against affordable housing. No one has a right to live where ever they want. If Arlington isn't affordable, then poor or middle income families will need to move somewhere else that is more affordable.

[Anonymous]

"Affordable housing" in our area includes people who make up to 80k sometimes. That is still a healthy income.