Home, cheap home? Affordable housing essays, part two

LOOKING UP: Mountain Housing Opportunities homeowner Anika Ervin takes part in constructing her own home in MHO's Self Help program in Weaverville. MHO, a private, nonprofit housing and community development corporation, is the largest producer of affordable housing west of Charlotte. MHO produces over $10 million each year in affordable and workforce housing development, home lending, housing preservation and neighborhood revitalization. This year, MHO is completing 109 new affordable homes in Leicester, Swannanoa and Mars Hill and preserving over 100 homes for low-income homeowners this year in Asheville and Buncombe County. Photo courtesy of MHO

There’s no doubt about it: For growing numbers of residents, finding affordable housing in the area is a daunting challenge.

Increasingly, people not only want to visit Asheville: They want to live here. But the high demand for housing across all sectors, the high cost and limited availability of land, the challenges of building in the mountains — together with the harsh reality of wages that aren’t keeping pace with rising housing costs — add up to a grave issue facing this community.

What would it take to solve the Asheville area’s affordable housing problem?

In hopes of sparking dialogue that might help move us beyond mere collective hand-wringing, Xpress posed that question to assorted local nonprofit leaders, government officials, builders, developers, academics and folks who’ve struggled to find affordable housing themselves.

We got back a range of thoughtful essays — so many, in fact, that we couldn’t fit them all into a single issue. In this second of three parts, five writers offer their diverse views and suggestions.

Here are links to this week’s essays (updated as they are posted online):

“Let’s Subsidize Real Affordability,” by Cindy Visnich Weeks, Vice President, Director of Community Investments, Mountain Housing Opportunities Inc.

“Affordable Housing or Affordable Living?” by Pat Whalen, President, Public Interest Projects Inc.

 

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.