Affordable Housing Myth

Myth
People who live in high-density and affordable housing
won’t fit into my neighborhood.
Fact
People who need affordable housing already live and work
in your community.

According to government definitions of affordable housing, families should devote no more than 30% of their income to rent or mortgage payments and utilities. Affordable housing often means housing whose residents don’t pay too large a share of their incomes on rent or a mortgage. Households earning lower incomes can have a variety of occupational and educational backgrounds. Families earning less than four-fifths (80%) of the area’s median income are officially lower income households; families earning less than half of the median are known as very low-income households. For example, a starting elementary or high-school teacher in Mountain View (Santa Clara County), with a gross monthly income of around $3,200, can afford to pay $960 a month in rent, which qualifies as low-income if the teacher lives alone; if the salary must support a spouse and a child, the family
would be a very low-income household. A starting air-traffic controller in San Diego County, with income barely higher than $31,000 a year, would also qualify for affordable housing. Librarians, sheriffs’ deputies, nurses, fire fighters, and many other vital members of our communities all need affordable housing. People motivated by these concerns may just need to “meet” the residents of high-density and affordable housing. Residents often have been long time
members of the community, and will continue to make contributions to
their neighborhoods.

From an article entitled "Myths & Facts About Affordable & High Density Housing" regarding the current state of affordable housing in the state of California.