Habitat for Humanity keep out

[mimartin]

People in Houston support Habitat for Humanity, just not in their neighborhood. (video from Houston FoxNews)

 

I find this appalling, I can understand the argument if they were building in the same development area, but they are building in their own neighborhood. Guess they want to ship all the lower income families to Dallas or San Antonio. Hope they understand that some of these lower income people are employed in the service industry. Guess they will find that out the next time, they go to dinner and they have to bus their own table or cook their own steak. The may also want to consider who is going to clean their pool or home too.

 

About five years ago, I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity when they came to my area, upon hearing this on the radio this morning I drove by those homes and they were in decent condition. They were no better or no worse than the average lower income area. Oh, I inspect homes in the insurance industry so I know a little about home maintenance. The ten homes I remembered Habitat for Humanity building all were insurable by the company I work for as well as the state windstorm company and the Federal Flood Program (FEMA).

 

Is it accept to keep lower income homes out of your neighborhood if lowers your property value? (The upside it also lowers property taxes.)

 

If so, should Habitat for Humanity only be allowed to build in areas of similar construction and not were the homes are actually needed?

 

If Habitat for Humanity owns the land, should they be allowed to build whatever the want, provided it meets current zoningand building codes (just like any other landowner)?

[*Don*]

I think that HfH siould be allowed to build where ever there is a need for houses

[Totenkopf]

Technically, HFH should have the same rights as any developer. On the other hand, if they decide to build properties that bring down the value of nearby homes, those people should have the right to petition their government to block such a sale (which doesn't mean that the government should do that). They may just end up having to console themselves with the posibility that their savings in property tax is roughly equal to the lost value of their homes.

[PoiuyWired]

Is it accept to keep lower income homes out of your neighborhood if lowers your property value? (The upside it also lowers property taxes.)

 

If so, should Habitat for Humanity only be allowed to build in areas of similar construction and not were the homes are actually needed?

 

If Habitat for Humanity owns the land, should they be allowed to build whatever the want, provided it meets current zoningand building codes (just like any other landowner)?

 

I think HoH should be allowed to build anywhere as per any developer. On the other hand, they should at least follow local zoning and building codes, or closely resemble them, so that the structure is not too out of place. You really don't want a project-like structure sticking in the middle of your million dollar neighbourhood.

 

Yes, I do think that HoH buildings should be spawned in areas where it is needed, and where its inhabitants can find jobs easily.

[Jae Onasi]

I'm not sure how you can stop them from building if they own the land and comply with all applicable laws. Now, the city may enact laws that specify what kind of home that can be built in a given area if they really want to control property values, and HfH would have to comply. How many homes are going to be built in the middle of million dollar homes,though?

[Totenkopf]

It doesn't have to be in the middle. Mere proximity could cause an unwanted dip in property values. I'd say much really depends on the type of housing being built and the type of people who end up moving into that housing. Poorer people aren't by definition without pride or self respect. HfH housing doesn't mean that the new tenants/homeowners will be slummies or crime magnets.

[mimartin]

HfH housing doesn't mean that the new tenants/homeowners will be slummies or crime magnets.

Yet that is what the people trying to stop this development seem to be implying this.

 

On the other hand, if they decide to build properties that bring down the value of nearby homes, those people should have the right to petition their government to block such a sale (which doesn't mean that the government should do that).

I tend to agree with this. My main problem is that Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit charity and when I donate to them I do not expect it to be used for lawyers fees (no offense to any lawyers out there, but I want the money to help lower income families). When people try to keep lower income people out of their neighborhood or city by blocking such developments in court, they are taking money away from people that really need it.

 

The homes in that area of Houston run between 150,000 up to the 1,000,000. range. Even so they still have many jobs in the area around the minimum wage range. I guess they want the workers to travel across town from the east, central and southeast side of Houston to work up there. This is completely impractical with today’s gas prices and the lack of mass transit in Houston. Sure we have a train, but unless you want to go to a sporting event, restaurant, art district, medical center or a bar across a narrow section of downtown Houston, the train is completely useless.

 

How many homes are going to be built in the middle of million dollar homes,though?

None, they are building 90 homes in their own neighborhood. However, there more than a few million dollar homes within a ten mile radius of the planned community.

 

My question is if the home in this area is so valuable how can HfH afford to build there? Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to sell the property and build more homes somewhere else with the extra money?