I remember during our midterm discussion, the class talked about affordable housing solutions. Jim asked us what could be some steps we could take. I raised my hand and answered that a possible solution could be to find an area of land to build affordable housing and just start there. He argued that although it has been done, the problem with my answer is that once that housing is built, the area could become unappealing. I did not think about that at first, but unfortunately it is true.

During the summer of 2014, I volunteered at the Alameda Point Collaborative in Alameda, CA. Here, the volunteers and I built affordable housing in a rural part of the city for low income families in that area. I am curious how the city went about finding the area and funds to build it. This was before I learned about the extreme challenges with finding affordable housing and I am happy that I did my part in building it.

In the recent book presentations, it has been interesting to hear about the affordable housing solutions. Many authors have different views in regards to successful approaches. I wonder how many agencies or shelters believe in the housing first approach vs. the treatment first approach. I would hope that most would be housed first, in order to give them some stability during their struggles. I also hope that cities, like Alameda, can find areas where they can build housing for families and individuals in need.