Affordable Housing Essays (Examples)

Affordable Housing & the Use

For example, any ontrols or regulations that are not unreasonable and bear some relationship to the general welfare of the ommunity are permissible unless prosribed by preemptive state or federal laws or by the federal or state onstitutions. Legal sholars have stated that inherent in the polie power, is the power to exlude or ondition development along with the power to mandate inlusion of development with partiular harateristis that further the general welfare of the ommunity. This is problemati beause just about any zoning ordinane an be validated under the polie power.

Current zoning regulations have long been ited as the ause of inreases in housing and land osts, beause most urrent zoning ordinanes seek to exlude affordable housing by driving up property values in more affluent neighborhoods. Current zoning ordinanes are used as the primary means that governments use to ontrol the physial development of land and the kinds…… [Read More]

Affordable Housing in Los Angeles

Affordable Housing in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is called the "city of Angels." It is a heavily populated state of California and second most populous in the United States. Los Angeles is very famous for its climate, sunshine throughout the year. It is well-known and prominent for Hollywood, churches, shopping malls, Santa Monica Mountains, art galleries and entertainment industry. People always dream to live in Los Angeles as it is the liveliest state of U.S.. In the year 2011, U.S. faced the worst economic crisis it ever had and this financial disaster made the housing affordability very difficult in Los Angeles for those people who are already living there and those who want to live there.

In my opinion, in a place like Los Angeles, getting an affordable housing is a real dilemma for the residencies especially when people are facing the worst financial and economic crisis. But people could…… [Read More]

Chicano Affordable Housing in the

Through the examination of land use in a given area, local government can locate areas of large urban cities where homelessness and poverty are high, and can thus develop assistance programs in areas that require such assistance (Ahn, 6). For example, areas that have high populations but little affordable housing can be identified, in order for funds to be appropriated to those areas, as needed.

Impact of acism on Housing Accessibility

In spite of federal and local housing assistance, the number of homeless individuals in the U.S. shows clearly there are still issues in the public and private housing markets. One such issue of particular concern for the Mexican-American community is that of racism. acism affects the quality of housing available, the rates for housing, access to education, and even the backing sector.

First, racism affects the quality of housing within any given area. According to one study, current practices…… [Read More]

Issues of Affordable Housing

The sociological issue examined within this document is the dearth of affordable housing. This phenomenon is adequately deconstructed in an article in USA Today entitled “The ‘affordable housing’ fraud”. The premise of this article is that affordable housing does not exist. The use case on which this article relies is the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area’s dearth of affordable housing is characterized by astronomically high rental rates, steep prices for homes, and small spaces for these costly prices (Sowell). It is worth noting that although this phenomenon is examined in the Bay Area, it is a national social problem particularly prominent in places such as New York and Miami. Thus, there are many concepts in Mooney’s Understanding Social Problems which are applicable to it.
The structural-functionalist perspective would analyze this problem from a granular level. This perspective is predicated on the notion that society is formed from a…… [Read More]

Housing Discrimination

Housing Discrimination

In 1968 the Federal Government enacted the Fair Housing Act which, among other things, made it illegal to discriminate in regards to the sale or rental of property, against any persons because of race, religion, sex, national origin, or family status. ("Fair Housing Act") In subsequent years this law has been amended to clarify exactly who falls into protected classes when it comes to discrimination. ("Laws Against Housing Discrimination") In a scenario where Sally Gant, an African-American single mother, claimed she was discriminated against by Mark Armstrong, owner of a rental property, because of her race, it seems that the Fair Housing Act of 1968 may have been violated. However, a closer look at the facts reveals that her claim of racial discrimination may be difficult, but not impossible, to prove.

When the Fair Housing Act was enacted many attempted to claim that this law only applied to…… [Read More]

Housing and Homelessness in Canada in Canada

Housing and Homelessness in Canada

In Canada, there is a problem with homelessness. While that is certainly not unique to the country, it is a significant issue which has to be addressed in order to facilitate changes that can lower the number of homeless people in the country. The majority of these people live in the larger cities and do have some access to resources, but the problems with homelessness have still kept growing in complexity and size over recent years. The demographics of the people who are most often seen as homeless are changing, as well, putting younger and more vulnerable people on the streets. There are estimates that 0.5% of the population does not have a home at all, and some believe that those estimates only represent about 1/2 of the actual population of homeless people throughout Canada (Fortin, 2008). Part of the problem with not being certain…… [Read More]

Housing Market Economic Analysis to

Even Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be made totally independent from the government. This should be followed up by other methods to increase the individual ownership of housing and at the same time reduce the costs of owning a house. Even if the housing sector cannot be made totally private, it is important that the government make statements saying that it has no intentions of supporting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac any further, and at the same time, try to improve the operations of these two companies. This can be achieved by limiting the amount of debt that these regulatory deposit organizations can hold and also focusing clearly with the two institutions on the sections of the housing market where their activities would provide the best social benefits. (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Housing Finance: Why True Privatization Is Good Public Policy)

The weakness comes from the feeling that…… [Read More]

Housing Issues for Los Angeles

Additionally, the creation of a trust fund for housing could help to alleviate some of the economic burden on developers in Los Angeles. As compared to other major metropolis' such as San Jose, New York, and Chicago, Los Angeles uses the least amount of federal block grant funds on affordable housing on a per person basis, with just $23 per resident (In Short Demand). In addition to adopting an inclusionary zoning ordinance, the city should also implement an in-lieu fee to help fund it. Such a fee could be an alternative method to the institution of including an affordable unit in new developments, and could be directly applied to a housing trust fund. Estimates indicate that a $7 per square foot in-lieu fee would produce a surplus of upwards of $20 million a year, and could be used to remedy the housing shortage that not only affects Latinos, but other…… [Read More]

Affordable and Accessible Housing Can

For this research proposal several possible methods of research were examined and discarded before settling on the structured interview and the questionnaire for methods to use in this particular study.

Questionnaire

The questionnaire will be distributed to 100 low income families and will consist of three sections.

The first section will ask for general demographic information including race, age, number of family members, income and current living situation.

The second section will ask the participant to detail the past five years with regard to residents, rentals, public housing and cost.

The third section will request that the participant check off the top three elements that he or she felt created the most hardship in getting affordable and accessible housing. In this section the participants will also be asked to check off the three elements that they believe will help them to access affordable housing in the future. This section will…… [Read More]

Housing for the Mentally Ill

" (Finnerty, 2008) It is reported that those who suffer from co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse problems are also likely to be homeless. According to the Health Care for the Homeless Clinicians' Network (2000) "Co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse makes it more likely that people will be chronically homeless." (cited in Finnerty, 2008) Factors that are known to contribute to homelessness in those with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse include factors such as: (1) Financial problems; (2) Loss of family support; (3) Severity of symptoms; and (4) Time spent in institutions such as jails or hospitals. (runette, Mueser and Drake, 2004 in: Finnerty, 2008) Padgett and Struening (1991) state that substance abuse and mental disorders "…increase the health care needs of homeless persons, whose primary source of care is often the emergency room.

The work of Padgett et al. (2006) reports having interviewed a group of women…… [Read More]

Housing Price Dynamics Within a

Houston's large supply of land means that demand growth primarily results in more construction, not higher prices" (McCullagh & Gilmer, 2008).

However, it is important to realize that land supply is only one part of the reason that new home construction formed such a large part of the Houston housing market. Yes, Houston has more available surrounding land than almost any other major metropolitan area in the United States, but it also applies different rules to its surrounding areas, making development more of a possibility than in other areas:

In Houston, developers can create a munici-pal utility district, or MUD, to provide these [water, sewage, and drainage] services on their properties and can finance these with tax-free bonds. Houston requires developers to build MUDs in such a way that they eventually could be connected to the city's corresponding infra-structure, but they begin as self-sufficient enterprises.

In other cities, develop-ments must…… [Read More]

Chicano Community Housing Crisis Chicano

This committee works in conjunction with Land Use and Control Committees that oversee the best us of the land within the community. These two committees work together with local special interest groups to help assure that community resources are utilized for the greatest benefit of the people. Different communities call these committees by different names, but the purpose of the committees is always the same.

Anti-discrimination laws make it a crime to discriminate against a person for reasons of their race or religion. However, just because the laws exist does not mean that the problem is nonexistent. Race can be a defining characteristic of a community. Race can be the basis for community culture and community pride. People are often proud of their race and the cultural heritage that it embodies. However, stereotypes often stand in the way of getting fair treatment as far as housing is concerned.

Many see…… [Read More]

African-American Housing Chicago Study Chicago

" (Seitles, 1996)

Seitles claims that integration has been a success in the fight against racial prejudice and states that: "Social consequences of racial isolation intertwine with grim economic realities for minorities. Due to the lack of interaction between racial groups, African-Americans are unprepared to work and socialize in a white majority society, while conversely, whites are not relating to, working with, or living with blacks. Prospects for African-American children raised in such communities are greatly diminished because of the lack of interaction between blacks and whites. Moreover, minority possibilities for advancement consequently decline from the lower quality of education afforded to them in ghetto schools, precluding them from competing for high-income employment. Although these inequalities are not always directly caused by intentional discrimination, residential racial segregation perpetuates these inequalities. Thus, minorities who live in racially homogeneous communities are faced with disadvantages beyond the present economic and social inequalities associated…… [Read More]

Perceived Barriers to Housing for Low Income Families

Learner:

THIS FRM MUST BE CMPLETELY FILLED IN

Please Follow These Procedures: If requested by your mentor, use an assignment cover sheet as the first page of the word processor file. Use "headers" to indicate your course code, assignment number, and your name on each page of the assignment/homework including this assignment cover sheet.

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Academic Integrity: All work submitted in each course must be the Learner's own. This includes all assignments, exams, term papers, and other projects required by the faculty mentor. The knowing submission of another persons work represented as that of the Learner's without properly citing the source of the work will be considered plagiarism and will result in an unsatisfactory grade for the work submitted or for the entire course,…… [Read More]

Rising Cost of Housing Cost and Its Effect on the Nuclear and Extended Family

prohibitively rising cost of housing in Rhode Island has affected both the nuclear and extended family. Rising housing costs may force family members to move to less expensive areas, causing a breakdown in both extended and nuclear family structure. However, this may be balanced by the increased tendency of young adults, who cannot afford the high housing costs in Rhode Island, to live at home.

Certainly, data outlined below indicate that the housing crisis in Rhode Island is very real and immediate. Individuals across Rhode Island society are beginning to feel the constraints of the difficult housing market, and low-income individuals are feeling the greatest strain.

Given that federal and private agencies are unable to keep up with the increasing demand for housing assistance for low-income residents, the housing crisis will only continue to grow. As a result, the pressures of the nuclear and extended family are not expected to…… [Read More]

Low Incoming Housing Credit

Low Income Housing Credit

The low income tax credit has been an issue of debate since it was created. Many believe that the federal government should do more to help the working poor gain access to affordable housing and that the current plan is extremely convoluted making it difficult for developers and tenants to comply with. The purpose of this discussion is to define and describe the low income housing tax credit and to explore the advantages and disadvantages presented by such a system.

Defining the Low Income Tax Credit

According to an article entitled "The Low Income Tax Credit" published by the Internal Revenue Service the low-income housing tax credit was created by Congress to promote the construction and rehabilitation of existing rental housing for the working poor in various neighborhoods throughout the United States.

Congress also believed that the credit would raise the quantity of rental housing for…… [Read More]

Low Income Housing Initiatives in

In this regard Pindell advises, "The city is a place in which diverse groups, distinguished by income, race, or other characteristics, engage in a competition for space. For some, efforts within the competition are focused on excluding certain populations. Suburban communities incorporate to separate themselves from cities; some individuals live within the protections of gated communities, and some localities engage in zoning practices designed to limit housing opportunities for low-income individuals" (p. 436). To help overcome these constraints to low-income housing developments, the World Bank recommends that to improve public investment (which affects productivity and therefore Brazil's economic performance), the government of Brazil should reform local master planning and subdivision regulations, building codes and zoning ordinances in an effort to increase the supply of land available for low-income housing projects (Brazil: Equitable, competitive, sustainable, contributions for debate, 2003). While the debate over how best to resolve the problems related to…… [Read More]

Fair Housing Act

Practicum Report: Assessment of Fair Housing Act using a Normative Policy Evaluation Method
Summary
I considered this as a great opportunity for exploring the role played by the public policy practitioner in the Public Housing sector. I got to assess the Fair Housing Act, via a normative policy evaluation methodology. Collection of data was achieved through observation and literature review of materials that included policy guidelines as well as records for the housing agency. It is clear from the assessment of programs and processes that XXXX Housing Agency obeys all the state and federal conditions on housing, such as the Fair Housing Act. Nonetheless, in order to improve the Act and make it even more accommodating for the smaller groups, the following recommendations are suggested; (1) HUD should supervise and impose grantee’s jurisdiction-wide favorable fair housing responsibilities via a reviewed Analysis of Impediments procedure. (2) The HUD needs fund beneficiaries…… [Read More]

China Housing Reforms

China's Urban Housing Development -- a Shift from Welfare Housing to Home Ownership

The challenge of housing in China has been on the national agenda for more that four decades now. A lot of efforts have been directed by the government to help solve the challenge and it has substantially achieved a significant mileage. This paper will delve into the policies informing the urban housing reforms, the evolution that the housing reforms has undergone over the years, the challenges it faced, the current situation of China in terms of housing and also discuss the trend that are prevalent in China and what the government is currently doing to ensure the dream of housing for every China citizen is achieved.

Overview of housing reform agenda

The landscape of China as a whole has been undergoing several changes and shifts in the political, social and the economic aspect of it. This prompted…… [Read More]

Harris County Housing Department Issues

Indeed, it could not be considered humanitarian to withdraw public housing assistance to those already so terribly afflicted by the events of the hurricane and its aftermath. However, it is most certainly necessary for Harris County and Houston to achieve some sort of long-term resolution as it is now clear that so many transplants have inevitably become integrated into the Harris County public housing system.

This is an issue which is only further complicated by the close relationship between the Harris County labor pool and the consistently prickly issue of immigration. At present, like most contexts in Texas, "Houston has an estimated 3,000 day workers who frequent 29 street intersections looking for work. On weekends, their numbers reach 5,000." (AP, 1) This is to say that there are, today, so many individuals seeking employment in Texas at immigrant wages that the Housing Department is doubly burdened by the need to…… [Read More]

Low Income Housing Tax Credit

Income Tax

What are the pro's and con's of the Bush Administration's proposal to convert the ection 8 voucher program into an aggregated block grant to the state?"

This is a paper that outlines the arguments of why Bush Administration's proposal to convert ection 8 voucher program to block grant is not feasible.

The ection 8 voucher program, which was started in 1976, helps approximately 2 million low-income families and people with special needs, such as the elderly and disabled, pay for rented housing. The program can also be used by these people to save up for down payments when purchasing housing. The program is administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which currently distributes the funds to low-income families through public housing agencies.

Typically, citizens contribute a maximum of 30% of their monthly income in rent, and the Government pays the rest. Families who make less than…… [Read More]

Housing Bubble

Housing Bubbles Contagious?

Like the sudden collapse of publically traded internet technology stocks in the year 2000 which was its predecessor, the speculative real estate bubble that peaked in 2006 and deflated with such sudden and devastating scope was viewed by many as a calamitous, but largely unforeseeable, confluence of catastrophic economic circumstances. Economic theorists and other researchers have begun the arduous process of debunking that self-perpetuating myth, however, by precisely analyzing the complex network of financial, social and political variables which dictate the artificial inflation, and resulting drastic deflation, of residential property prices. Mary iddel, an associate professor in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Department of Economics, recently authored a report examining concept of interconnectedness between neighboring urban centers entitled Are Housing Bubbles Contagious? A Case Study of Las Vegas and Los Angeles Home Prices. Published in the scholarly journal Land Economics, iddel's comprehensive study of the intricate…… [Read More]

Smart Growth

Affordable Housing and Smart Growth

Smart Growth is an initiative started to increase the quality, distribution and supply of affordable housing for low-income earners.

It is recognized that the growth of cities has been mainly influenced by the public, private and non-profit sector, with the traditional methods of town development not providing adequate housing for low-income earners.

The impact of this has led to an "affordable housing crisis," with over 5.4 million United States households living in accommodation that is either severely inadequate or with payments over half their income.

Smart growth is aimed not just to serve affordable housing needs, but also to serve the needs of the economy, the environment and the community.

As the report says "smart growth in new developments is more town-centered, transit and pedestrian oriented, and has a greater mix of housing, commercial and retail uses...Smart growth ensures greater environmental protection, by preserving open…… [Read More]

Ethics and Morality Obama's Housing

The bottom line for many - in terms of moral obligation - is the fact that Americans rely on their government to: a) protect them from attacks from terrorists (which the government did not to prior to the attacks on 9/11); b) spend their tax money responsibly without corruption (which neither the Congress or the hite House has done in recent years); c) only wage war when the nation is under direct threat of hostility (which it didn't vis-a-vis the Iraq ar); d) be honest with citizens (which the government has not been - to wit, the executive branch has on numerous occasions over the past few years censored empirical science in the name of political ideology); and e) protect the Constitution (which the executive branch has not done in all cases, i.e., recent memos released by the Justice Department show the executive branch believed it could assume broad and…… [Read More]

Japanese Housing Market Your Purchase Japanese

This draws a pattern of the land price model, concentric as one moves away from CBD.

An interesting element of the Japanese housing market system that is worth considering in terms of its impact on the housing market is the savings rate and savings behavior in Japan. Traditionally, the savings rate in Japan is high, with a population that is risk averse and tends to invest in instruments that have lower returns, but are also less risky. With that in mind, Noguchi and Poterba (1994) tend to support the idea, first of all, that the conditions of owned houses differ from those of rented houses, in that they are especially more spacious and with overall better amenities.

Second to that, there appears to be a clear relationship between geographical location and wealth accumulation, as determined by the savings levels in different regions. Households in larger conurbations, such as Tokyo, accumulated…… [Read More]

U S Housing Market Boom to

(Der Hovanesian, 2010)

Increased Promotion of Discounted mortgages.

The way that subprime lending practices, and some call predatory lending practices affect the housing market has yet to be realized on such a large scale, as these tactics have always been carefully controlled by lending institutions, due in large part to their historical long-range view. Subprime lending on the other hand is fundamentally not a long-term view practice; it is a short-term tactic that is now being dealt with on a massive scale as foreclosures mount and more and more families see foreclosure looming in their future and more and more banks take on this debt, with the added burden of holding on to mortgages that far exceed the new depleted value of homes as the market corrects naturally from the housing bubble. The marketing for such subprime lending was absolutely saturated as nearly every individual was admonished to buy a…… [Read More]

Green Housing Building a Green

So is knowledge of various, and often changing government regulations regarding the financing, construction, and architectural design of green homes.

A green home professional should be well-versed in different types of environmental science, and know what critical aspects of a home should have priority for 'greening.' It is necessary to make the homes affordable within the target demographic and genuinely environmentally efficient. A background in the government's specific stipulations as to what constitutes a green product regarding home improvements is important, as well as the technical aspects of energy efficient windows, landscaping, heating and cooling systems, and so forth that may be added to a new, existing, or rebuilt home.

Some real estate background would be necessary, to understand what makes a home aesthetically attractive to a buyer, when designing the homes and developing a market strategy. Knowledge of Internet marketing and other new venues to reach a wide demographic,…… [Read More]

Maryland Health Policy Analysis for Affordable Care Act

Health Policy Analysis for Maryland AC (Affordable Care) Act

McLaughlin, & McLaughlin (2014) rank 11 areas of health innovation based on their impact on costs and quality of healthcare delivery. The process improvement is the highest ranking item. However, the authors identify data analytics, disease management, "non-physician delivery alternatives," and "alternative to fee-for service" (McLaughlin, & McLaughlin, 2014 p 335) as other innovation items that can enhance quality and reduce costs. Additionally, the authors point out that innovation in electronic medical records, diagnosis, and pharmaceuticals can also assist with quality and cost.

Objective of this health policy paper is to evaluate the items that can play important role in the health policy process of Maryland's ACA (Affordable Care Act).

Healthcare items for Health Policy Process for in Maryland Affordable Care Act

The ACA (Affordable Care Act) is a federal government legislation focusing on healthcare coverage for small groups and individuals.…… [Read More]

Business Analysis of a Business Model for an Elderly Housing Community

New Marketing Plan

Overview of Company

Dawn is a startup company that plans on making the most of the prospect that is the entrance into retirement age of the Baby Boomer generation. The company perceives this as a business opportunity to offer services to this population. In particular, the company will serve as a housing community that offers the product package or services to active seniors who have attained 55 years of age and above. This will encompass assisted living that could be partial or full-time, depending on the needs of the client. Dawn intends to not only offer these services, but also other amenities that will make life comfortable for the adult patients. The company plans on setting up its premises in Boston. The following is a marketing plan that is purposed on creating a profitable business model for the company.

Market esearch Strategies

The company will make use…… [Read More]

Shelter for Life Homelessness and

Over the year, the organization built 1,800 multi-purpose geodesic domes, for the Afghan refugees. Later, they would establish factories in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, to manufacture concrete roof beams, as well as other housing components, facilitating the rebuilding of not only homes, but entire communities as well. The Gulf ar resulted in millions of Kurds fleeing their homes, and once again Shelter for Life saw an opportunity to help others in need. Responding to the turmoil of the Iraqi people, Shelter for Life became an international NGO.

History"). Funding for Shelter for Life projects comes from a variety of sources including private donations, collaborations with other NGOs, such as Habitat for Humanity, religious organizations, humanitarian organizations, and governmental agencies ("Partners").

Randall Olson is the current President and Chief Executive Officer for Shelter for Life. Highly qualified, Olson received his B.A. In Linguistics and South and Southwest Asian Studies, his M.A.…… [Read More]

Beyond the Box While at

Scattering the Projects

By the 1990s, stakeholders in the public housing discussion had decided that the way to save public housing was to dismantle the core tenet that had defined public housing projects for several generations. While project housing projects had always been designed to be highly dense living spaces, usually relying on high-rise buildings and often housing far more individuals than had originally been planned for. The new model of public housing would be to "scatter" housing for the poor throughout established neighborhoods. This would be accomplished by the federal government getting out of the business of direct funding and construction of housing projects and instead providing vouchers for individuals to use towards renting housing in established middle-class neighborhoods.

The HOPE IV project was centered on this idea of "scattering":

The ostensible motive was to end the isolation of tenants from the wider city. The supposed barriers were twofold.…… [Read More]

Ecovillages of Tomorrow

Hen, M. (2010). Sustaining Pivilege: Potland, Oegon. Common Gound in a Liquid City:

Essays in Defense of an Uban Futue. Edinbugh, AK Pess Publishing & Distibution

What is the poblem Hen seeks to addess in this aticle? In othe wods, why does Hen say we should cae?

Hen addesses the poblem of what he calls "tidy affodability" -- namely the fact that sustainable cities ae becoming so expensive to live in they ae the luxuy of only the vey wealthy (Hen 2010:125).

How does he suppot the chaacteization of the poblem o what kind of evidence does he give to demonstate a poblem? (Give one example and explain).

Hen offes a 'case study' of Potland, Oegon, a city much-beloved by hippies but which is also quite expensive.

Q3. What does Hen ague ae the solutions to the poblem?

Hen advocates moe community owneship of popety and affodable housing.

Q4. Descibe…… [Read More]

Cohousing a Model for Australia

Cohousing: A Model for Australia

The roots of cohousing can be traced in Denmark in the early 1960s, expanding independently and simultaneously in Holland and Sweden where it grew into an established housing model. This term is a direct translation of a Dutch word meaning living together. In the model of cohousing, residents of a community rent or own their own homes while at the same time, share the ownership of communal space and the common house that hosts community activities. The level at which members participate in activities is voluntary although the model encourages community participation. The different income resource enables household preservation and autonomy of privacy within the community (Cooper-Marcus, 2010).

In the cohousing model, common houses make the heart of the community and members share meals sometimes as a means of bringing the community together. The financial contribution of residents of at least fifteen percent of their…… [Read More]

Quality of Life Indicators -- City of

Quality of Life Indicators -- City of Alexandria

esearch Indicators Analysis

Alexandria Quality of Life Initiative

The purpose of this paper is to provide details about the articulation and measurement of four select indicators from the Quality of Life Study for the City of Alexandria. A brief overview of the survey constructs, conceptual framework, data sources, and data analysis is provided as introduction to the discussion of the specific indicators.

Quality of life is a concept that takes on as many meanings as there are individuals living in a community. Individual perceptions are key in any definition of quality of life, but generally the concept has to do with positive feelings of well-being and a sense that one is living "the good life." The word good, and the mental images and emotional feelings associated with the concept of goodness, are generally agreed by psychologists to be fundamental to a concept…… [Read More]

Diminishing Middle Class in NYC

Diminishing Middle Class in NYC

If we look at the Lower Manhattan, it won't take us long to notice the change that has taken place in it in the last 10 years. The population especially the residential population has doubled up in the last 10 years as there has been an addition of 30,000 residents who are now living in Manhattan.

The main reason behind this sudden and huge growth in the population is the trend of construction that has taken place in Manhattan. This trend has led to the production of new as well as the conversion of the old buildings into new luxury housing. For this reason the living costs of the area have increased a lot and the previously affordable residential areas in the city have become some of the most expensive ones to live at. Also, the areas that used to be affordable to live in…… [Read More]

What Is the Primary Cause of Homelessness in America

Cause of Homelessness in America

has numerous social problems. Homelessness seems to be one of the most important ones. There are several causes that determine homelessness. However, the primary cause of homelessness can be considered the reduced affordable housing level and the national increase in poverty. Other causes of homelessness refer to high unemployment rates, low salary levels in certain urban and rural areas, the inability of certain individuals to pay health care bills, the inability qualify for public assistance, domestic violence, mental illness, addiction disorders, and others. It is important to understand that there are specific factors that influence homelessness in the U.S., but these factors are allowed to develop because of the state's authorities. In other words, these authorities seem to not be able to manage the social situation of individuals in a homeless situation. If their situation is analyzed, it can be established that homeless people's actions…… [Read More]

Aging Services Aging Is a

The service provider should then be able to assess the specific needs of the elderly person and give advice about the best option for living facilities.

Becoming older and more frail often also means being the victim of not only increasing financial constraints, but also of various types of abuse. Elderly abuse is a concern that has increasingly come to the attention of authorities as an unfortunate by-product of an increasingly aging society. Abuse might be perpetrated by family members or professionals and could be the result of financial or emotional strain, work stress, or more severe conditions such as mental illness. The aging service provider has some particular duties and responsibilities when it comes to elder abuse.

One of these duties is reporting suspected cases of elder abuse. The Elder Abuse and Neglect Act (Illinois Department on Aging, 2012), for example, provides for the ability of any person to…… [Read More]

Development of Logic Model

low income housing for Habitat for Humanity came from a Christian community named Koinonia Farm. The Farm was located near Americus, Georgia, founded in 1942, and the leader of the small Christian society was a bible scholar, Clarence Jordan. Those living at the Farm were of all backgrounds and races of people that needed affordable housing. The concept to work together through 'partnership housing' or voluntarily assisting in the construction of decent housing for people in need of good homes was planted. The Millard and Linda Fuller became acquainted with Jordan after leaving a very successful business and an "affluent lifestyle" in Montgomery, Alabama (NLIHC, 2004). Millard and Linda Fuller worked to establish Habitat for Humanity along with Jordan in 1976.

What type of subjects does it work with?

The main subject area is community housing for the poor or low income family. Therefore the subject is humanities and the…… [Read More]

Credit Crunch on UK Residential

While it was generally agreed that the increase in prices was due mainly to an insufficient offer as the stock house was limited, opinions have also been forwarded according to which the buy-to-let purchases have contributed to the inflation of the house prices (Property Mark).

The debate concerning the reasons for the massive price increases for residential properties (materialized mostly between 1996 and 2005) is however still ongoing. On the one hand, there are the property bulls, who argue that the increase in the prices of residential builds is the result of natural processes of economic growth and development. In other words, they state that the increase in prices was the natural reaction to higher levels of employment, economic stability and lower interest rates. On the other hand however, sit the property bears, who claim that the increase in property prices is not linked to any economic processes, but is…… [Read More]

Economic Indicators

Economic Indicators: Interest Rates and the Housing Industry

Residential Construction Industry

hroughout the last century our economy and way of life as Americans was permanently altered as a result of governmental involvement and the development of finance options, such as mortgage rates never before seen in the residential construction industry. In the beginning of the 20th century, what seemed unattainable by homebuyers became a common expectation by that century's close. hese expectations dealt with a consumer not only being able to build his own home, but more importantly being able to possess personal property, which represented, "comfort, convenience and quality of life unknown to previous generations" ("A Century of Progress," 2003).

hus, the idea of affordable housing for middle-class individuals is actually a relatively recent American historical phenomenon and highly dependant upon financing. Some economists date the so-called typical American suburban lifestyle to explosion of the highly standardized yet inexpensive…… [Read More]

Panelized and Modular Building Systems

The panels could also be assembled quickly often within a day. Some panels have an in-built wiring in them making the housing construction to be faster. The panelized off-site building technologies could also involve exterior wall of building designed to provide the load bearing structural support, and the panelized building system could be made of light gauge steel, timber, structural insulated panels (SIPs), non-structural or concrete, which could be used to create the whole building.

(Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, 2003). On the hand, Burwood and Jess (2005) reveal another method of panelized building system which is closed system. However, closed system is more complex because it involves the use of more factory fabrication such as insulation and lining materials. Different type of panels may include steel frame or timber frame and they may consist of prefabricated load bearing panels.

There are several advantages that could be derived from…… [Read More]

Comparative Urbanism

Urbanism

ristol, Rhode Island

On its website, ristol describes itself as a town, and these appear to be a fair characterization. What could be termed a town center, the waterfront district is clustered in an area proximal to ristol Harbor to the West. The surrounding areas to the north, south, and east appear to be less rigidly formed, with some apparent sprawl. Three large and distinct historic districts are located in the outskirts of the town, and two smaller historic districts are adjacent to the waterfront historic district. It is as though there were six town centers, rather than one. The overall effect is a fragmented township with limited commerce and constrained interactions among and across these distinct areas. One could imagine that the town council is populated by representatives of each of these areas, and that common ground would be difficult to identify. There are a number of decommissioned…… [Read More]

School of Social Work

School of Social Work

Applying for Scholarships

There are a number of careers available in the world today, and the majority of them require an advanced degree in college. In order to obtain the proper education and reach their goals, many students find it necessary to apply for a variety of scholarships. This letter concentrates on obtaining scholarships so that I can continue my education in the field of Social Work, as I have a strong desire to work with children and families in urban communities.

In order for me to continue my education, I must receive financial assistance. I am the father of four children, three of which are newborn triplets, and am the sole supporter of my family. My wife is currently unable to work due to our recent additions, but continues to provide emotional support in my educational endeavors.

My interest in helping others is rooted in…… [Read More]

Neck Sits on the North Shore of

Neck sits on the north shore of Long Island in Nassau County, and the name refers to both the village of Great Neck and the peninsula on which it sits. The Great Neck Park District, Great Neck Station on the Long Island Railroad, and the Great Neck School District make the village a premier residential community with a median home value of $466,800 dollars. This is largely due to the compactness of the community; at just .4 square miles, most of the city is within walking distance of the train station.

Great Neck station's express service on the Port Washington branch gets commuters to Pennsylvania Station in less than half an hour, allowing high-powered Manhattan executives to get to the city from suburbia and back without having to miss breakfast or dinner with their families. Although the average home value has increased significantly since 990, this can mostly be accounted…… [Read More]

U S National Strategy What Three United States

U.S. National Strategy

What three United States national interests do you think will be at great risk over the next five years? Describe those interests and identify which instruments of national power can be leveraged to protect or advance those national interests and how those instruments can be used.

As President Obama stated in his addresses to Congress in February 2009, the most important problem that the country faced was the economy, which was in the worst recession since the 1930s. This affected both domestic and foreign policy, since the country would probably have to reduce military spending and its commitments overseas as it did during the Great Depression, so for the Obama administration economic recovery was the primary goal. He did promise that "the weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation" (Obama Address, 2009, p. 1). He promised that the government would deal with…… [Read More]

Graduate MSW Focus and Intentions

Social Work Statement of Purpose

While some people may be able to point to a distinct time or place in their lives when they knew how they wanted to make their livelihood, for others, the path to a profession cannot be mapped so precisely. My motivation to seek a Master's Social Work (MSW) degree is rooted in diverse experiences in both my personal and occupational lives.

I grew up in a family with a strong sense of community. In my extended family, some members had limited resources but they still found ways to be of help to their neighbors. When I think back to the years of my upbringing, I remember that many people in my family and community communicated their values to me, and expected me to assume a helpful stance in my life. As I grew, those expectations did too, and I learned that an aspect of my…… [Read More]

UK Welfare the Following Review of Current

UK elfare

The following review of current literature is categorized by a number of variables. Statistics and Data initiate the report and is quickly followed up with Policy Literature. From there, an Academic Literature Review focusing on five articles (with corresponding studies and citations) takes place. After the Academic Review comes a Relevant Campaigning Review and a Media Review. Finally, a quick conclusion ties the literature together in a neat little bow.

The charts below provide data that allows researchers to understand exactly how significant the problem is. Chart A (see below) shows the rates of pregnancies in the UK broken down by age. As is evident, since 1990 pregnancy rates for older women have been rising significantly, while the rates for those woman under 29 years of age (including teenagers) have been holding steady, or slightly declining for the most part. Since current public policy was first initiated in…… [Read More]

10 Million Fund Allocation Budget Plan

Budget Plan for $10 Million Fund Allocation

Positive economic development in any city in the United tates relies on the provision of effective, efficient, and strong infrastructures that will attract investment to generate job opportunities in the city. A central goal of any city is also to improve health outcomes for the residents to improve their health outcomes. City public officials should also provide safety and securities, and improve students achievements to enhance quality of human developments . However, a city officials are required to keep proper accounts of all income and expenditures to deliver high quality financial resources.

As a newly elected public official of the city of between 50,000 and 250,000 population, our goal is to attract investment opportunities in the city through effective use of budgetary control to meet the economic and health needs of the residents in order to enjoy 100% federal funds. Our goal is…… [Read More]

FHA'S Default Insurance Program Strategically

2. Second, the deductibility of mortgage interest and property tax payments serves to lower the after-tax cost of homeownership, also contributing to owners' ability to increase savings or consumption. Many low-income owners may not benefit from these provisions, however, because the standard deduction often exceeds interest and property tax

3. Third, homeownership allows a borrower to tap into secured lending against his or her home, which, all else equal, is often at a lower rate of interest than unsecured lending. All these financial benefits are possible but in no way assured. As discussed in the following text, the proper way to view homeownership is as an investment that carries with it significant risks and uncertainties. For any number of reasons, homeowners can end up losing money on their homes or earn less of a return than if they had rented over some period." (Herbert and elsky, 2008, p. 9)

A…… [Read More]

Federal Government in Dealing With Homelessness Over

Federal Government in Dealing with Homelessness

Over time, the United States of America has experienced what can in some quarters be referred to as surprising levels of homelessness. This is regardless of the fact that the U.S. remains one of the most powerful countries in the world. With that in mind, the need for the government to take a larger role in providing an effective program to address the issue of homelessness cannot be overstated.

Homelessness in America: An Overview

According to a report formulated and prepared for Congress by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, although the federal government has made significant progress in reducing the number of homeless veterans and the chronically homeless, "it probably will not reach its goal of ending homelessness among these two populations by 2015" (Lowrey, 2012). This is a clear indicator that the government needs to double its efforts in an…… [Read More]

Family Home Ownership

The National Housing Act indirectly promoted the idea of lenders offering much longer-term mortgages with the currently accepted concept of monthly payments with the dual interest and principal payment scale. Amortized real estate mortgages opened the door for an average person to purchase and own a single family home.

As a result of the National Housing Act, the United States government inadvertently committed itself along with private lenders to insure long-term mortgages that could be held for as long as twenty or more years at an interest rate that was affordable. Although the process at first was bogged down by paperwork and bureaucracy it eventually caught on.

Part of the reason the process took hold was because in addition to guaranteeing the loans, the National Housing Act through the formation of the Federal Housing Administration also investigated properties and neighborhoods which added an extra measure of security and guaranteed real-estate…… [Read More]

Performance of the Middle East

(Jabal Omar Development Corporation 2010)

Kuwait

Since 2008, the real estate market in Kuwait has been continually declining. The reason why is because the economy was largely depending upon oil revenues. However, in 2010 the sector began witnessing an increase in prices. This is because of the Kuwaiti government was aggressively promoting the tourism industry. As developers are expecting a strong increase in foreign direct investment, due to the governments push to expand the sector. As a result, holiday and residential areas in Kuwait are continuing to boom. (Finkelstein)

In the housing industry, there are large numbers of shortages that are affecting prices. What has been happening is the residential sector has been facing restrictions over the last several years, surrounding building permits. As the government was slow to endorse them, which created a rush on new areas that were approved for development. At the same time, the government has…… [Read More]

Centex Homes Is a Dallas-Based

490 million pace. The reported 1.518 million March rate was revised by the government down to 1.491 million.

Also, building permits dropped 8.9% in April to a pace of 1.429 million units. The situation regarding the U.S. housing market is not quite clear since housing level is high, on the one hand, but housing permits are very weak, on the other hand. House builders' forecasts are not very bright either, as they believe that "much weaker permits suggest home builders are looking to retrench home building and that would lead to cutbacks in house-related jobs" (Morrison, 2007).

Government regulations have a direct and quick influence on the U.S. housing sector and the companies involved in this sector: "when new construction is more constrained, as measured either by lower supply elasticity or the presence of certain regulations, affordable units are more likely to filter up and become unaffordable, relative to remaining…… [Read More]

Brownfield Development Over the Last Several Decades

Brownfield Development

Over the last several decades, China has been going through tremendous amounts of economic growth. Since the 1990's, various Chinese cities have seen an increase of 380 million people. hile the economy, has expanded by five times as measured in GDP growth. However, the nation has also been experiencing challenges associated with the need for housing and sustainable development. One possible strategy for dealing with these issues is brownfield development. In the United States, this has been shown to be an effective tool for dealing with urban blight and managing growth inside a particular region. ("Urban Sustainability Index")

To determine if this kind of strategy can be effective in China requires measuring possible benefits. This means looking at specific cities in comparison with each other. Once this takes place, is when specific insights will be provided as to how China can deal with future economic development. Over the…… [Read More]

Master Planning and Private Equity

Master Planning & Private Equity

Case Summary

Summarize the case in points

Rahul Todi of Shrachi is considering the prospects of developing land near Bardhaman, West Bengal. Residential demand has been steadily increasing in India, with a trend toward urbanization reflected by a rising middle class that is settling in the cities where job and cultural opportunities are promising. The parcels of land that Todi is watching could potentially be developed through a partnership with the West Bengal Housing Board, a government entity that has as one of its goals the development of low income housing. On the flip side, Todi has entered the idea of partnering with Xander Funds, a private equity group that invests in real estate and other asset classes.

Should Rahul Todi and Shrachi leave their Kolkata base to develop in Bardhaman at all, in any form?

The vision that Todi has for the land assemblage…… [Read More]

New Suburban Poverty

New Suburban Poverty

Suburban poverty: The new, hidden underclass

Suburban poverty -- the type of poverty that exists side-by-side manicured lawns, near sprawling houses with basketball nets in the driveway -- is a relatively new phenomenon, and rapidly growing, according to The Nation's reporter Eyal Press. This is confirmed with hard data from a Brookings Institute survey, which reports that demand for social services in the suburbs was up after the Great ecession, "significantly…almost three-quarters (73%) of suburban nonprofits are seeing more clients with no previous connection to safety net programs. Needs have changed as well, with nearly 80% of suburban nonprofits surveyed seeing families with food needs more often than one year prior, and nearly 60% reporting more frequent requests for help with mortgage or rent payments" (Allard & oth 2010).

Eyal Press' article suggests that the factors that contribute to suburban poverty are systemic rather than simply related…… [Read More]

Game Outside Game David Rusk's Book

Game / Outside Game

David usk's book, Inside Game / Outside Game: Winning Strategies for Saving Urban America is an insightful and well-researched addition to the current understanding of urban management and public administration. In his book, usk argues convincingly that improvement in inner city neighborhoods can only come from a coordinated effort that includes regional approaches to reducing suburban growth, the concentration of poverty, and financial differences. However, usk's collaborative strategies for improving urban America face some important bureaucratic challenges described within Morgan and England's text, Managing Urban America.

In Inside Game / Outside Game, usk argues for reform of metropolitan regions based on the interrelationship between urban management and management of other, outside concerns, like taxation, suburban growth, and housing practices.

usk argues that revitalization of neighborhoods, affordable housing, preservation of open space and fiscal policy reform are closely related. As such, changes in factors like taxation or…… [Read More]

Suburban Cities

old, my parents and I moved from the sprawling, suburban township of Hudson, Ohio to the village at its center, and I fell in love with small, walkable cities and towns that are built on grids. I believe that such environments promote socialization due to the activation energy involved in going out. If we accept that socialization is more comfortable for the majority in the traditional context of a high-density city, why do the majority of new home permits proclaim otherwise? Why don't people just don't pick up and move to places where people have traditionally conducted their daily affairs without the use of a car, like San Francisco and New York City?

The 1960's and 1970's in America saw an urban transition still unknown in most of the major cities of Europe. The Federal Housing Administration had precipitated the explosion in suburban development by offering 4% interest loans following…… [Read More]

Problems Parolees Face Once Released

Parolees Face Upon Release

When a prisoner is paroled from prison and attempts to reintegrate himself into society he can face many different obstacles that keep him from successfully resuming a life outside prison. These problems can range from internal problems the parolees have to deal with in their own lives, like drug addiction, to problems that society inflicts upon them, like the inability to find employment. Even without those difficulties though, many prisoners find the adjustment from a life in confinement to one of freedom to be impossible to navigate. Many of these parolees end up violating their parole and returning to prison, a full two-thirds return to prison within two years. Even if a parolee is successful in staying out of prison, just finding affordable housing can be a serious challenge. All of these problems must be overcome if a former prisoner is going to re-enter society and…… [Read More]

Poverty Prevention Strategy as it

Organizations such as habitat for humanity have proven that home ownership is possible for the very poor. The prevention strategy will call for the implementation of a housing plan that is modeled after habitat for humanity.

In addition, the strategy will also address education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. As it relates to education teachers should have the proper credential and pay should be appropriate and consistent with experience. There should be a proper amount of textbooks. There should be no more than 20 students per teacher and computers and internet access should be available at all schools. Certain standards should be in place as it relates to the condition of school buildings and any building that does not meet these standards must be renovated to meet these standards. These standards would be inclusive of working fire alarms, secure entrances and exits, proper lighting, clean floors, clean and operational restrooms, no…… [Read More]