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Tigress DEM

(7,887 posts)
21. Teach people getting housing assistance to do it as partial compensation.
Sat Jan 12, 2013, 11:10 PM
Jan 2013

People go out and help build homes for Habitat for Humanity. Same basic idea.

Other times you can buy a house and put in "sweat equity" as a way to bring down the COST and still ADD Value to the home.

The great part about it is that people who are getting "assistance" from the government are also paying it forward or earning it, whatever description works to say they would be in a position to be "ABLE" to be part of their own solution.

SEE "RENT-QUITY" for a bit more of my ideas on the subject.

I kept thinking to myself that so many resentful, unrealistic people in this country INSIST on balancing the budget on the backs of the poor..... WHAT IF? What if we gave the poor the means to get the job done?

What if we could keep people who are on assistance from being thrown back out on the street as soon as they get a job and start seeing a tiny bit of hope?

What if any job they had could have the paycheck funneled into accounts that preplanned their successfully leaving assistance behind with prepaid accounts for basic needs? 1 year's "rent" in advance. An account for car insurance for a year or a years worth of bus passes?

The main difference between the poor and people that can ride out situations that put people out on the street is having enough of a buffer zone between themselves and abject poverty.

Even the "working class poor" could use the program to set aside part of their income in a safe savings account for specific needs. A pre-paid medical reimbursement account that doesn't go away at the end of the year for example. AVERAGE people could use these accounts as tax shelters of a sort with the income being set aside from taxed income because it will be used for future need and therefore lessen the chance that someone in the working class would fall down into the area where full assistance would be required.

It would keep more people working, enable people to even keep a crappy minimum wage job and still have their basic needs met and be able to plot a path OUT of poverty.

So, so sad. nc4bo Jan 2013 #1
We could if we tried. NutmegYankee Jan 2013 #2
"There is no such thing as society" FiveGoodMen Jan 2013 #54
The real problem is relying on Section 8 as the principal program for low income renters. Gormy Cuss Jan 2013 #3
This. wickerwoman Jan 2013 #7
How about NO income. juajen Jan 2013 #43
"low income" in HUD terms includes no income Gormy Cuss Jan 2013 #44
They tore most of the low income housing down.. butterfly77 Jan 2013 #46
It goes back much further than that - Nixon moved the focus away from funding new construction Gormy Cuss Jan 2013 #49
According to the census, hundreds of thousands empty in Michigan. mbperrin Jan 2013 #4
Most of Michigan's vacant housing is in teardown condition, kestrel91316 Jan 2013 #8
In most cases though, rehabbing existing housing is cheaper than building from the ground up. Gormy Cuss Jan 2013 #11
True, and that old construction is pretty solid. kestrel91316 Jan 2013 #15
In the City of Detroit, many are rubble piles FrodosPet Jan 2013 #33
We owned and operated a small remodeling and construction firm mbperrin Jan 2013 #12
My dream when I retire is to get a shabby little old 1910 Craftsman kestrel91316 Jan 2013 #16
Yes, it should be. mbperrin Jan 2013 #17
Not most, but many. louis-t Jan 2013 #51
That is one house in Michigan for every long term homeless person in America FrodosPet Jan 2013 #27
As I explain to my students, shortages of anything from food to housing mbperrin Jan 2013 #38
But who will do the rehab? moonlady0623 Jan 2013 #18
Teach people getting housing assistance to do it as partial compensation. Tigress DEM Jan 2013 #21
Like Tigress mentioned.....use the same idea as Habitat for Humanity. nc4bo Jan 2013 #25
Why should it be volunteers? FrodosPet Jan 2013 #29
Habitat from Humanity uses volunteers. nc4bo Jan 2013 #31
You do have a point FrodosPet Jan 2013 #34
USDA has " Self-help" housing in smaller towns farmbo Jan 2013 #26
I can understand the desperation. richmwill Jan 2013 #5
There are plenty of empty buildings all over this country because of asjr Jan 2013 #6
A Disgrace! tom_kelly Jan 2013 #9
The comments to this article are disturbing. rwheeler31 Jan 2013 #10
Our so called great society Old Codger Jan 2013 #13
I can guarantee you Skittles Jan 2013 #14
That's putting it mildly. Brigid Jan 2013 #37
These comments... TheMightyFavog Jan 2013 #19
How much should he pay them? Marcia Brady Jan 2013 #50
We need a new solution RENT-QUITY. Tigress DEM Jan 2013 #20
I have a veteran's section eight voucher and it has meant a lot to me in stabilizing my life Nika Jan 2013 #22
how do you get a veterans section 8 voucher? WooWooWoo Jan 2013 #48
Contact the VA close to where you live Nika Jan 2013 #52
"America, America.... ReRe Jan 2013 #23
And yet thousand of foreclosed homes sit empty and owned by banks who don't take care of them. Javaman Jan 2013 #24
Just like in the '30's. Brigid Jan 2013 #36
in my area, the waiting list for low income housing is over 5 years lifesbeautifulmagic Jan 2013 #28
Congratulations, Governor Snyder. Burn in Hell, you son of a bitch. catbyte Jan 2013 #30
About 10 years ago, I read an article about ELF Houses in the Netherlands Hestia Jan 2013 #32
Here's something cool we've been doing in Portland 99th_Monkey Jan 2013 #39
OK, lots of older buildings needing rehab. Brigid Jan 2013 #35
Some "Street Views" of potential rehabs in Detroit FrodosPet Jan 2013 #40
Another option is "Tent Cities" that are self-governed, by and for homeless people 99th_Monkey Jan 2013 #41
Now this is very sad CountAllVotes Jan 2013 #42
My cousin just got her Sec 8 housing Le Taz Hot Jan 2013 #45
Housing vouchers are in shortage in every community in the nation. I could have stayed in my jwirr Jan 2013 #47
K&R.. butterfly77 Jan 2013 #53
This is becoming SOP KamaAina Jan 2013 #55
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