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Thomas Hines (he/him/his)
4th Year Psychology Major
 
How did I get involved with IMPACT?
My first impact trip was Spring Break of my freshman year. I went to Fort Myers, Florida to learn about Environmental Awareness. This trip was so important to me – it was my one of my first opportunities to learn about serving sustainably and led me to pursue opportunities in Athens. For my second trip I went to Orlando, Florida on a trip focusing on Youth Empowerment. Last year, I co-led the Shelter and Resource Access trip to New River Valley, Virginia.
I love IMPACT because through service and reflection we can learn more about the social issue we are facing. Through discussions with our fellow participants, we can learn from one another’s experiences and unpack the complexities of societal privilege. We can learn more about our own community, the way that issues manifest themselves, and the ways that we can become more educated and involved.

Why am I interested in my trip focus?
I am interested in affordable housing because the availability of safe, reasonably priced housing affects so many aspects of an individual’s life. Housing is critical to protect people from the elements. In addition, housing is a platform for other critical activities – such as obtaining an education, finding and retaining employment, and maintaining physical and mental health.
The multitude of factors that affect one’s access to housing also interests me. I would like to know more about the combined effects of gentrification, cyclical and generational proverty, discrimination and more affect one’s ability to maintain housing.

Fun Fact:
My favorite hobbies are PC Gaming and Mountain Biking!
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Contact:
tch24367@uga.edu
Sophia Trentacosta (she/her/hers)
2nd Year Biology and Psychology Major 
 
How did I get involved with IMPACT?
Coming into UGA as a first year I knew I wanted to be involved with service in some capacity on campus. At the beginning of the year, I heard about IMPACT through my friend and nervously signed up for a trip to Memphis, Tennessee with the focus of HIV/AIDS Awareness and Advocacy. I knew very little about this topic and was anxious about spending my spring break with a group of people I had never met before. As it turns out, stepping outside of my comfort zone and participating in this trip was one of the best decisions I have ever made! Through IMPACT, I gained an understanding of the root reasons why service is needed and how to make this service sustainable. As a group, we reflected on both the positives and negatives of each of our service sites and discussed the relationship between social justice and service. My desire to continue these conversations encouraged me to become a site leader!
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Why am I interested in my trip focus?
I would like to shed light on the nature of affordable housing as it is a topic that is often overshadowed in today’s society. A stable home greatly affects one’s access to food, education, healthcare, etc. Those who lack housing that is affordable often struggle to afford these previously described elements and additionally lack this sense of overall stability. I hope to gain a better understanding of my trip topic so as to better advocate for those who are directly affected by this issue and to further the understandings of those around me as well.

Fun Fact:
I don’t eat the edges of pancakes.

Contact:
443-904-3314
srt13304@uga.edu

Introduction to Affordable Housing 

Key Terms:
Affordable Housing - Affordable housing as a social issue does not only refer to those experiencing homelessness or those who live in government housing. Instead, The Department of Housing and Urban Development states that families who are spending over 30 percent of their post-tax income on housing to be “cost burdened” by their housing. 12 million households pay more than 50% of their income on housing each year.
Habitat for Humanity - Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit housing organization working across all 50 states in the US. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage
Wealth Gap - The unequal distribution of assets among residents of the United States. The mean wealth of black household wealth is $138,200—for whites, that number is $933,700. (The Economist 2019)
Gentrification - The process by which higher income households displace a large group of lower income residents from a neighborhood, changing the character and personality of the place (Georgia Initiative for Community Housing 2019). 
Situational poverty- caused by a temporary crisis
Generational poverty- involves the birth of two generations into poverty
Housing Discriminaton - the illegal practice of discriminating against buyers or renters of dwellings on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, family status, or disability
​Intersectionality - the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups (Merriam-Webster 2019)
Minimum Wage - the lowest amount of money that employers are legally allowed to pay their workers (varies from state to state)

General Information:
What are some common assumptions/stereotypes related to affordable housing?
  • Affordable housing as a social issue does not only refer to those experiencing homelessness or those who live in government housing. Instead, the Department of Housing and Urban Development states that families who are spending over 30% of their post-tax income on housing are “cost burdened” by this housing. 12 million households pay more than 50% of their income on housing each year.
  • People underestimate the cost of housing; in no state can a full time worker making minimum wage afford (afford being defined as spending less than 30% of their income on housing) a two bedroom apartment at fair market rent (OOR 2019). Furthermore, people must earn an average wage of $22.96 to afford a modest, two-bedroom rental home in the US. 
  • People underestimate how large the shortage of affordable housing is in this country. There is a shortage of over 7 million affordable homes for America’s 11 million lowest income families (OOR 19).
  • People underestimate how difficult it is to obtain housing assistance. 3 out of every 4 families eligible for housing assistance are turned away. 
  • People underestimate the racial disparities in housing access; in terms of those renting housing, 20% of black households and 16% of Hispanic households are extremely low-income renters. Only 6% of white households renting are extremely low income.
  • Some assume that people can simply move somewhere with more affordable housing. However, this argument fails to consider that affordable housing is a national problem. In addition, moving requires money, energy and time away from work. The argument also fails to consider housing discrimination. Finally – many people do move to the edge of cities, which drives up rent in these areas (urban sprawl) and can incur other costs such as increased spending on gas.
  • Some fail to understand why affordable housing is not built if there is a demand. Simply, building affordable housing is expensive, and developers can not recoup the costs. It makes more sense for them to build luxury high rise housing.
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How does this issue look in Athens?
  • Over 50% of the Athens population lacks affordable housing (30% or more of their income is going towards paying rent)
  • ​Average housing cost has gone up 60% since 2000 while income has only increased by 28%
  • ​The majority of new multifamily housing has become college student housing









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Resources

National Information on Affordable Housing: 
“Why Affordable Housing Needs to be a Right Not a Privilege”
This article discusses: 
  • Why providing affordable housing is socially/fiscally responsible 
  • How US affordable housing policies compare to other countries in the UN
https://ideas.ted.com/opinion-why-affordable-housing-needs-to-be-a-right-not-a-privilege/

“Out Of Reach”
This case study shows:
  • The average income necessary for housing to be affordable in every state
  • Shows that for low income renters, housing is still out of reach
https://reports.nlihc.org/oor

Affordable Housing in Athens:
“Finding Home: A Proposal to Improve Housing Affordability in Athens, Georgia”
This article discusses:
  • The factors that affect housing affordability in Athens.
  • The current state of housing in Athens
  • Potential policy options for improving housing affordability
https://www.athensclarkecounty.com/DocumentCenter/View/57881/GICH-Final-Report 

“Students Shape Athens Housing Market While Poverty Issues Persist in City”
This article discusses: 
  • The differing experiences of UGA students and Athenians 
  • How the large poverty rate in Athens affects the local housing market
  • How the student market affects housing prices/rents in Athens
https://www.redandblack.com/uganews/students-shape-athens-housing-market-while-poverty-issues-persist-in/article_28ed9506-702a-11e4-ab4f-5bf33c29c09c.html

Affordable Housing in Asheboro:
While this study is a bit out of date, this is an in depth look at housing affordability in Randolph County:
https://rchawv.org/uploads/RCHA_housingstudy071612_v2.pdf

The effect of budget cuts on Asheboro’s Habitat for Humanity:https://www.courier-tribune.com/news/20170419/habitat-for-humanity-director-fears-for-program8217s-future

Habitat for Humanity: 
“Qualifications for Habitat Homeownership”
This article discusses: 
  • Qualifications for Habitat homeownership 
  • Discusses other ways Habitat is involved with maintaining affordable housing 
https://www.habitat.org/housing-help/apply/qualifications-for-habitat-homeownership

This article discusses:
  • The mission of Habitat 
  • How to volunteer with Habitat 
  • The relationship between the government and Habitat 
https://www.habitat.org/about/faq#what


Intersectionality 

Housing Discrimination:
Racial Disparities Among Extremely Low-Income Renters:
https://nlihc.org/resource/racial-disparities-among-extremely-low-income-renters

Paired testing finds evidence of housing discrimination against same sex couples, transgeder people, people with disabilities, as well as racial and ethnic minorities:
https://www.urban.org/features/exposing-housing-discrimination

Overview of housing discrimination:
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/housing-discrimination-us-report

Here is the longer report that the Next City article was based on:
https://nationalfairhousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/TRENDS-REPORT-4-19-17-FINAL-2.pdf

Health:
Overview of housing’s relationship with health and safety:
https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hpb20180313.396577/full/

Environment: 
How green housing designs can help communities/residents protect the environment and create more affordable housing:
https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/smart-growth-and-affordable-housing


Disability:
People with Disabilities Face Significant Affordability Challenges in the Rental Market
https://nlihc.org/resource/people-disabilities-face-significant-affordability-challenges-rental-market

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