Obama and Affordable Housing

I think Ezra's giving short shrift to Barack Obama's housing policy commitments. It's true that, as for every president, affordable housing issues aren't going to be priority number one in the Obama administration. But his support for creating an Affordable Housing Trust Fund isn't just boilerplate, this is actual legislation that's a top priority for affordable housing advocates.

Note, conversely, that programs conservatives claim to believe in like Section 8 housing vouchers suffered a lot under the GOP congress and would suffer much, much, much more under John McCain's proposed cutbacks of domestic discretionary spending.

Comments

With Obama's record with er--affordable housing in Chicago, I'm finding it very difficult not to laugh at the idea that an Obama administration would do well with this issue. Then again, not running heat in the winter does make things more affordable...

Posted by jb | May 8, 2008 9:00 AM

Where is your post on your Nixon Library soirée.

Posted by Joe Klein's conscience | May 8, 2008 9:15 AM

Come on people . . . Senator Obama is a Progressive with unprecedented experience in poor communities. . . When he has the power of the Presidency he will do the right thing! . . . There is no need for him to talk much about it now and just give the haters more ammo for their attack ads. . . If you do not trust Senator Obama on this issue you are simply stupid!

Posted by Wisconsin Reader | May 8, 2008 9:37 AM

I heard stories about Obama's record on housing but to me it sounds like guilt by association.

Posted by Micheline | May 8, 2008 10:09 AM

I heard stories about Obama's record on housing but to me it sounds like guilt by association.

Is there any other kind?

Posted by Josh R. | May 8, 2008 10:23 AM

Josh R.,

The only article that comes to mind is this one, which as I said is more like guilt by association. In another piece by the same author she called Obama a political sociopath.

Posted by Micheline | May 8, 2008 11:27 AM

Aren't housing affordability programs a major contributor to the low density suburban lifestyle of which you generally disapprove?

Posted by mike | May 8, 2008 12:20 PM

Response to Mike:

Since I make my living in affordable housing, let me try to put to rest the notion that it is "a major contributor to the low density suburban lifestyle." Much of the affordable housing being developed today, specifically multi-family rental, emphasizes high-density and transit orientation (well, if you're lucky enough to live somewhere with good public transit). Green development is the hot new buzzword, and many funding agencies target their resources to projects that are sustainable in terms of access to transit, jobs, and services. "Cornfield developments", while they still are done, are less and less in the mainstream.

Posted by David Wohl | May 8, 2008 5:43 PM

Aren't housing affordability programs a major contributor to the low density suburban lifestyle of which you generally disapprove?

I am genuinely puzzled by this suggestion, unless you are taking about a major throwback to WII-era public housing. HOPE VI is all about building communities that are integrated into service sector jobs, easy access to services and educational opportunities, etc.

That said, Ezra seems to err by overemphasizing the importance of HOPE VI as an affordable housing strategy. While there are still necessary legislative fixes to the program, HOPE VI standing just doesn't provide a solution to the affordable housing shortage -- it only concerns rehabilitation of existing public housing projects. In fact, as presently administered, HOPE VI leads to a net loss in affordable housing units (part of what legislation, which has already passed the House, needs to fix).

Establishing a National Housing Trust Fund is indeed the biggest housing priority today, and would actually begin to address affordable housing shortages by creating dedicated funding that would be go towards encouraging housing construction that would be affordable for the lowest-income renters.

If Obama really felt he needed to enhance his housing/urban development policy bona fides, he would pick Edwards as his running mate.

Posted by StJoe | May 8, 2008 7:24 PM

A government trust fund for affordable housing? One way to make something more expensive is to throw government money at it. See, for example, education (SLM student loans, grants, etc.), health care (medicare and medicaid), real estate (FNMA, GNMA, FHLMC, FHA, etc.).

Posted by Harry | May 8, 2008 11:15 PM

On HOPE VI: it doesn't HAVE TO lead to a net loss of affordable units--some housing authorities commit to one-for-one replacement of units.

Posted by David Wohl | May 9, 2008 8:54 AM