For some reason people think we need more low income housing. I found a list from 2003 and I thought I would share a little of it with you.
In 2003 Davenport had- Brady Village, Castlewood, Davenport Manor, Heritage, JLCS, Spring Village, and Luther Towers.
In 2003 Rock Island had- Lincoln Homes, Rock Island Manor, Spencer Towers, Elderland Heights, HeatherRidge Apartments, Century Woods, Conventry, and Maple Ridge Apartments.
In 2003 Moline had- Spring Brook Courts, Spring Valley, Hillside Heights, Sanders Apartments, Highland Manor, and Pheasant Ridge.
In 2003 East Moline had- Oak Grove Manor, Fullerton Homes, Streed Towers, Diana Courts, Colona House, and Blackhawk Hills.
In 2003 Silvis had- Warren Heights, Warren Tower,and Loma Linda.
Granted some of these may have closed; but how many more have gone up? JLCS has had several projects since then, Horizon Homes just got the ok to rebuild. Not to mention the mixed rental properties. We must be the poverty capital of the Midwest. With this short list I cited it's easy to see how we can have a 10.5% poverty rate in Davenport. I shudder to think what it is for the entire Quad Cities.
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All of the Sec. 42 (AKA-Low Income Housing Tax Credits)applications must have a detailed market report that examines income, jobs, and many other demographic factors in justifying need within the application. All of these studies are conducted by objective professionals who construct the report based on the numbers-it isn't tied to a specific project, but to the area of the proposed project. You can look at any of the marketing reports as part of Sec. 42 applications through the Iowa Finance Authority. Need is heavily weighed in factoring awards. It is highly competitive throughout the state of Iowa. Comparing crime and relating that to LMI housing doesn't negate the real need for affordable rentals for working people. The real numbers are incomes and ability to pay rent. PEDCOR's project doesn't factor in Sec. 8 renters. There is a four year wait for Sec. 8 certificates in Davenport. The sad fact is that there exists today high rent and poor quality rentals. People have a right to clean, safe and decent housing. The state of Iowa takes the applications and awards the credits based on data and planning for managing and sustaining the quality of the development over time. Those who syndicate and invest in these types of credits also looking at the sustainability of the development.
These projects DO NOT attract low income people-the application and market study factor in the EXISTING population. You are right to examine the issue, but simply counting units and making the judgement that there are too many really doesn't address the need for decent affordable housing for working people who cannot afford or choose not to buy a home.
As I said in the post, the percentage of poverty level people here is too high. I am not against all new projects. I am against any low income complexes going up. The only thing I can see about this Pedcor proposal that I do like is that they don't accept Section 8 renters. Blame the government for that, not the developer or property owner. With what you know about the process, you know that the government holds up all Section 8 rent checks if one renter destroys something until the property owner gets it fixed. This blackmailing the landlord is what's hurting the program. Add that hassle to the known connection between low income complexes and crime and I see no use for them. If people want clean, safe, and decent housing they don't go to low income complexes. I don't think you can say you consider Castlewood or Horizon Homes in that equation. Even the head of Health and Human services said this program isn't working in a testimony before Congress. As I have said, I don't know the answer; but I do know more is not better.
How does it not make sense that quality apartments will run crappy apartments out of business?
Everyone likes to say how we're not growing, so I guess I don't understand ...
You do not get it. We don;t have a problem with not enough affordable housing, but we don;t have enough deent renters. The good ones will go and the bad ones will just keep running our city down into the ground.
I have nothing against quality apartments, and it's not just the crappy rentals that will get hit. If you have a nice apartment SoLo, but without central air, garbage disposal, side by side refridgerator, wahser and dryer, etc., this will leave your place empty. Sure there's a waiting list for Section 8, but how can the private sector compete with the government when the renter can move into a new building with all the bells and whistles for $100 a month. I just look at the track record of these types of complexes and they just don't work. If I can survive without these extras why can't somebody making half as much money do it. I get tired of people wanting something for nothing. If I can't afford it, I don't need it.
I don't know why you're talking about this $100 a month stuff, because that's not at all happening with the PEDCOR thing. Section 42 is quite different from Section 8.
And also, I suspect there are at least 292 apartments in Davenport that are crappier than the Solo one you described. If someone moves out of a nice apartment with no central air, garbage disposal, etc, then someone who's currently living at a place like that but with a community bathroom or something will move up into the nice Solo apartment and the bottom of the barrel apartments will be out of luck. As they should be.
I still don't believe there's no public monies going into this deal. I also believe that since it's zoned commercial now it would better serve the city as a mall or big box store. They create revenue and jobs. When I said $100 a month, I was talking a few years ago. I have probably only rented 2 years my whole life. I have always bought.
I live in subsidized housing. I could not afford to rent a 3 bedroom house or apartment without it. I live in an apartment complex and yes, I have a 3 bedrooms with central air, but don't let that fool you about quality living. There is no insulation on the flooring, (indoor/outdoor carpeting on top of cement), the floors downstairs are so cold in the winter, we have to wear shoes in the house. There must not be much insulation in the walls either because they are very cold when you touch them. I have a huge gap in my front door that I have been trying to get replaced forever. We have to hang a blanket over it to keep the wind out. It doesn't help that the thermostat is about 10 feet away from the door so everytime someone goes in or out, it clicks on. My gas and electric bills are outrageous in the winter and there have been times when we can't even be downstairs because it has been so cold. We cannot have our own washers or dryers because they pay the water. I'd be willing to pay a little extra for that. But they would rather make money off of there laundry facilities. My carpet and paint are old (15 years), and I have requested new, but haven't received any response on if I will get it. The air ducts have never been cleaned since I have lived here and dust is terrible. We also have rodents every year and they have run thru the duct work, so lord knows what all is in those things besides dust. The furnace is maintained every year by them changing the filters once in the spring and once in the fall. I have never had a yearly furnace inspection. I could go on and on, but I won't.
Just let me finish by saying that I am grateful to have a place; there are many that do not. But we are not living in luxury by any means. And before you judge me as one of those low-income people that doesn't do anything, let me say that I do work; I am an aide at a school. Circumstances in my life put me where I am. If I could afford to live somewhere else, believe me I would. My kids also would prefer living somewhere else, but they understand that their mom is struggling. Just wanted everyone to know a different side to the story.
I should have clarified a little bit. I'm not scrooge, I just don't want new welfare people coming here from all over the country because of the benefits. I also didn't mean you had to have them, just that whoever builds the new ones put them in. And we both know there are people who work the system for all it's worth. I just think there are more cost effective ways of doing things. What I have against the complexes is just that they breed crime. Not all people who there are criminals. People like yourself who fall on hard times actually have it worse because you have to live in them, and we just live by them. Since you do live in one, and do have problems; don't you feel there would have to be a better way to do things. You know from your end that complaining doesn't work, we on the other side know the same thing. I wish you and your children could live someplace else also, but if people don't start looking for viable solutions and talking about it nothing will get done. People who live in complexes usually aren't vocal because they don't want to get evicted. People who don't live there, in general, don't want to admit there's a problem. Somewhere there has to be a middle ground.
8:22 - you deserve better. Just because you are a single parent and financially challenged does not mean you deserve to live only in a bad place or a bad area of town. I am opposed to more subsidized rentals in this town because we have too many and they are in the worst areas of Davenport.
I hate to think that your only option is a bad neighborhood and a big complex for your children. That makes me mad. I think there is money better spent. Like on rehabs and making housing affordable in nicer neighborhoods so you have a better feeling.
The agencies get a lot of money to develop these low income places, that is why they do it, not to help you. They do it to make money.
QCI - you are nuts believing whatever is told to you. Tax Credits are public money you idiot. There is LOTS of public money in that Pedcor project. Millions in tax credits going to an investor who is getting RRRIIIICCCHHHHH off of us in the name of serving the poor. Tax Credits are given, approved and monitored by teh state of IOwa through IFA. The investors are very interested in making the money, but honestly could care less about the dynamics of the neighborhoods as long as the bottomline is met - no matter what.
I wish you would stop the madness QCI. You are so young and impressionable. Your mentality is what keeps us all from prospering hers Dport - those in charge think like you or visa versa. I was told you were comnsidering a run for office, don't bother. There are too many people in the 3rd ward who are not impressed and know better
Where in the world did I say there was no public money in PEDCOR??
I said the rent isn't subsidized (directly, at least.) They give the developer tax credits, which they then sell, and use that income to build the complex for less than it would normally cost. In exchange for this free money, they agree to rent to a certain percentage of people making less than average.
The Davenport Lofts are about 2/3rds Section 42, and there are no prices under $550. All I was saying is that there aren't $100 a month apartments in Section 42 housing. Also, this building doesn't seem to "breed crime."
Its all about the management, folks. When you have bad management, you get projects and tenements. When you have good management, you have good apartments.
The important thing is that we make sure PEDCOR are good property managers.
"The important thing is that we make sure PEDCOR are good property managers." That's the basis of most objections in this city. At the beginning the developer and city say it'll all be OK. Then the honeymoon is over, things start to fall apart and the city and developer are off to some new project. No support whatsoever. It may take 3 or even 5 years for new properties to slide, for crime to settle in. By then it's someone else's problem isn't it? It's the idiot naysayer againster homeowner that's stuck in the complainer role saying"Uh, when you're done congratulating yourself on the Christmas party in the skybridge, can you look into the shooting in Unit 3B and while you're here the assult on the playground I saw from my window?"
I am against any new tax credit projects, but I must say that we are all missing the mark. The people who support more tax credit affordable housing projects claim that we have a shortage of affordable housing. But, we keep building it and we still have a shortage. WHY? We need to do a real market study to see what income pracket needs this housing and then look at how the city can best use these tax credits instead of just approving all of them. Do the working poor really have a hard time finding housing? Or is it the really poor who do? If so, then what is their barriers to working? What kind of help would improve them and our city?
9:35 continued. Read the QCTimes article today about debris complaints. F--k, we can't even figure out how to pick up a cardboard box from the alley. Put a moratorium on adding anymore people to this city until we relearn how to tie our shoes.
QCI_ getting tax credits relies on the rule that the developer must rent the places for a certain amount (ie - subsidized rents). it may not be like section 8, but the rule is that you either rent to a cetain % of low income at the low income rate or you don't get themillions in tax breaks (ie - tax dollars )/
Well, the low income rate is pretty similar to regular rates at places around town.
I'm just trying to fight the myth that people can not work, and live in these apartments for next-to-nothing.
If this is true QCI, then why do we need to keep giving tax breaks to develop this hosuing then? IS this kind of housing actually addressing out affordable housing issues? it suppposed to ins't it?
It seems like most of the multi-unit apartments that have gone up in Davenport lately have some public funding behind them somewhere. I've been told by at least one person that its not financially feasible to build new apartment buildings unless you can charge $900+ a month like Alexis at Perry Point.
If you think about it, most of the new multi-unit buildings in Davenport are condos. I'm probably missing some obvious examples of new apartment construction without public money though.
Doesn't new equate to more costly? New houses cost more than old ones, so why wouldn't it be the same with apartments. Seems to me, there are people happy to live SoLo, and others who want north of 53rd. Of course in today's world there are no affordable new homes either. But there should be a place for everbody with reasonable expectations.
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