Task Force: Affordable Housing Propositions 

Congratulations!

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has put you in charge of creating affordable housing propositions. You have also been given the responsibility of creating a plan to decrease the number of homeless persons in the United States. 

Why Are We Doing This?

As of 2018, 554,830 people were suffering from homelessness in the United States. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development identifies cost burdens as families paying more than 30% of  household incomes for housing. The Office of Affordable Housing combats this issue through programs like HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) and the Housing Trust Fund. You now need to take these factors into consideration and develop a recovery plan for the nation’s affordable housing programs! The goal is for you to think about various steps that need to be taken in order to allow the nation to implement an affordable housing plan.  

Steps:

1. Using this link, check out the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) and the Housing Trust Fund. 
   1. What do these programs do correctly? 
   2. What do you think needs to be reformed? 
   3. Do you want to reform the current programs, or create a new one altogether? 
   4. Is 30% of household incomes for housing a good cutoff for what should be considered a cost burden? Why or Why Not?
2. Brainstorm specific guidelines for your plan. 
   1. What kinds of buildings will be used for homeless people? 
   2. Which states will be prioritized to find housing for the homeless? 
   3. How do you plan to make housing accessible for the homeless?
3. Think through the possible objections that someone could have about your affordable housing proposition and how you would answer them.
4. Think about how your plan can be compared to plans or programs that have been implemented in the past. 
5. Share with the group and see if you can convince them that your plan is the best and will allow the United States to decrease rates of homelessness and implement better affordable housing programs.

Things to Keep in Mind:

• You do not have to come up with an exhaustive list of procedures for your plan. It’s better to come up with a few requirements that you feel confident with and spend time thinking through possible objections to it.
• You don’t have to worry about answering all possible objections, but you should have some defense of why you think your reasons are more important.
• Your requirements should be things that governments could realistically implement.