Affordable housing is a frequently misunderstood concept.
It is defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as housing that costs residents no more than 30% of their monthly income.
A common misconception is that only people living at or below the poverty line need affordable housing. Many are struggling to find affordable housing, leading to high demand in Greenville County.
Local experts believe the narrative around affordable housing must be reshaped to help mitigate the current affordable housing deficit. The idea was brought forward during a discussion panel held Jan. 24 at Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County’s CEO Build kickoff meeting.
The guest panelists at the event included:
- Brian Albers, co-founder of Affordable Upstate
- John Castile, executive director of Greenville County Redevelopment Authority
- Peter Rumsey, Habitat for Humanity International’s senior director of operations for housing and community strategy
Read more about the county’s affordable housing shortage
A negative connotation tends to follow affordable housing within the community. Some believe this housing type will bring in less desirable residents or cause their neighborhood’s value to decline. Lack of community support for adding affordable housing can be a barrier for developers and organizations trying to get projects off the ground.
“While those of us who’ve been fighting the good fight for a long time, we somehow have lost in marketing what we’re talking about,” Castile said. “Now, you know, for us, how can affordable housing be a negative thing?”
Monroe Free, president and CEO of Habitat Greenville, said education is key to helping people understand both the breadth and the depth of the affordable housing problem. It is important to know who exactly is in need of affordable housing.
The standard income levels of a family looking for affordable workforce housing are those with 80% of the area median income and less. According to the HUD, a family of four in Greenville County earning around:
- $71,200 is 80% AMI
- $53,400 is 60% AMI
- $44,500 is 50% AMI
- $26,700 is 30% AMI
“Two-thirds of the county make $44,000 or less — that’s most people,” Albers said. “It’s teachers, it’s firefighters, it’s baristas or waitresses. It’s our neighbors.”
Castile explained that by educating people on those who need affordable housing, there might be less hostility and pushback from the community when creating more affordable housing.
“There’d be more people at the table willing because not only would they be helping a neighbor, they may be helping a family member as well,” Castile said.
In the end, the panel agreed it will take innovative solutions, public and private partnerships, and the community’s support to improve the affordable housing shortage.
“This is not a ‘them’ problem. This is an ‘us’ problem,” Rumsey said. “We need diversity across our incomes, ways of life and that’s what creates a vibrant, growing city.”
