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Affordable Housing
Submitted By: Mojo Nichols in Real Estate Tips category
For the people who have median income affordable housing is the prime concern. The term is usually applied to rental accommodations that conform to the needs of the lower income group. The affordability can be defined that the housing expenses should not include more than 30% of the gross income of a household. The housing costs here include the taxes as well as the utility costs. The shortage of affordable houses poses a problem for the lower income group as they can not meet their other basic needs such as health care and nutrition due to expensive housing. There are many programs designed by HUD for making the affordable houses possible for the lower income groups such as, “the home program.” These programs are administered by authorities like, the office of community planning and development, the office of housing, the office of public.
- The Home program – This program has been designed in the manner that it provides a good stock of affordable and decent houses to the lower income group. This is done by providing grants to “PJs,” participating Jurisdictions and the local and state governments. PJs design the local home programs with a great deal of flexibility. They follow the guidelines provided by the HOME program statue and the final rule. The home fund is utilized by them for helping home buyers and renters. They also help the existing home owners. It has rehabilitated, constructed and acquired around 450,000 affordable housing units. It has also provided nearly 84,000 tenants with direct rental assistance.
- SHOP (Section 11 of the Housing Opportunity Program extension Act 1996.) – It helps in providing funds for the non – profit making organizations for buying house sites. It aims at improving or developing the infrastructural facilities to help the housing programs in setting up houses for low income groups. This is a landmark in setting up the decent affordable houses for people of the median income group.
- The Home ownership zone program – This program makes the communities claim the vacant properties. It creates the entire neighborhood for single family homes. It increases home ownership for the communities therefore it is called home ownership zone. HOZ provides a pedestrian friendly environment at the same time it also provides the other urban principles as well.
The programs for affordable houses were framed as the congress believed that the supply for affordable housing was diminishing and at the same time the policies framed prior to these did not prove to be very effective. The living environment for the increasing number of American residents is diminishing especially people from the low and middle income strata. It was thought that to do away with the problem of increasing houseless ness and expensive houses. The State and the local governments along with private sector increase the infrastructural facilities. Therefore the above mentioned programs for Affordable housing were framed.
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