Housing is a person's single most important expense. While a roof over someone's head is something too often taken for granted, a roof and four walls imbue people with a sense of stability, one that allows them to turn their attention to other priorities, like finding a better job or helping their kids with school. And so, when housing is uncertain, or when so much of a paycheck goes to rent that it keeps someone from basic necessities, it's impossible to think about anything else.
In this, "affordable housing," as a concept, is frequently misunderstood, shrouded in many of the same misconceptions as other social policies aimed at helping low-income and vulnerable populations. The myth of the welfare queen pervades, as we continue to categorize poor people as "deserving" or "undeserving" of aid and project our own assumptions on people who receive aid, thinking of them as lazy or crooked.
So let's clear up some of those myths.
[For more of this story, written by Maria Elkin, go to https://psmag.com/news/whats-m...f-affordable-housing]
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