The five people who have announced they are running for Lincoln mayor were asked to provide their thoughts on the city’s role in affordable housing, particularly affordable rental units.
Here are their written answers (edited slightly for length when necessary):
Krystal Gabel
Affordable housing is a safe home that any household can live in long-term without financial struggle, including those working minimum-wage jobs and earning below the average Nebraskan salary of $37,000, Gabel wrote.
The current concept of affordable housing (where a house is deemed affordable to those with at least a median income) is biased toward low-income families and bogged down by regulation and zoning laws.
Gabel suggested several specific solutions:
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* I will partner with community members to implement safe parking options for those living in their vehicles. A pilot program funded with grants could consist of two public/private lots to accommodate 20 vehicles and adapt as needed.
* I will preserve and build more manufactured-home parks with shareholder ownership to fill the critical gap in low-cost housing options. And I support building income-based apartments throughout the city.
* I will adopt building and zoning standards that allow tiny and small-house construction and pocket neighborhoods.
* I want to implement smart grids throughout the city for those who are already in homes that they can barely afford, technology that will allow all residents the opportunity to create, use, and sell their own energy as well as make Lincoln energy independent.
Leirion Gaylor Baird
Affordable housing means different things to different people. At a recent neighborhood forum on affordable housing, some people referred to Section 8 Housing, some focused on rental rates, and some spoke about costs for first-time homebuyers.
No matter how you define it, affordable housing is a complex challenge that we, as a community, should address proactively, Gaylor Baird wrote.
As mayor, I will focus on solutions that both help first-time homebuyers and keep rental costs within reason.
First and foremost, we must continue the work we’ve done over the past decade to increase the supply and variety of housing in Lincoln. Moving property out of the floodplain, making it ripe for development, will be one important strategy.
To use public funds effectively and efficiently, we should explore how we might partner with the private and nonprofit sectors in Lincoln to create Nebraska’s first community land trust, a tool that creates perpetually affordable housing units and revitalizes neighborhoods.
Many community members have offered other strategies worth exploring, including creating enhanced tenant support services and ensuring landlords are familiar with and able to access grants like those offered by LES to make home improvements that, instead of resulting in increased rents, actually save on utility costs.
Jeff Kirkpatrick
Targeting existing homes is one cost-effective strategy for increasing affordable rental units, Kirkpatrick wrote.
The challenge in affordable housing is not only building new homes, but also ensuring livable conditions in affordable housing that already exists.
We need to place more attention on the residential maintenance code so homes remain both affordable and livable for families.
As city attorney, a big focus of my work has been on public safety. We need to broaden that definition to acknowledge housing conditions as a critical component of a safe community.
Enhanced residential maintenance can be accomplished by hiring additional Building and Safety staff to enforce existing codes.
Increased inspection will lead to more homes that are safe, livable and affordable.
Additional staff will allow us to better enforce neglected building ordinances with properties that have been vacant for two or more years. Getting these properties back into shape is also a cost-effective solution to affordable housing.
Partnerships with outstanding nonprofits like NeighborWorks and the Lincoln Housing Authority are also a key to affordable housing.
Cyndi Lamm
It has become extremely difficult in Lincoln to find affordable apartments and housing rentals, as well as single-family homes. The community is beginning to have more and more conversations about it, trying to craft solutions, Lamm wrote.
In my opinion, the answer is not more government subsidies. We need to come up with other creative solutions.
For instance, the Region V Behavioral Health program that helps people come out of homelessness has worked extremely well. The program helps with rent assistance, with gradually reduced payments that eventually end, helping people who need an extra boost to get back on their feet.
For others in the low-income bracket, we might look at providing incentives to landlords to make it more attractive for them to accept housing vouchers. Those incentives might include relaxing some regulations that are not directly related to safety issues. We don’t want people who are low-income living in substandard housing. But we may want to look at the standards that may have little to do with safety.
The availability of affordable workforce housing is also essential to drawing and keeping talent in Lincoln. Whether rentals or homes for sale, we must examine and modify city regulations and time delays that make building and remodeling housing units increasingly expensive in the first place.
Andy Ringsmuth
Personally, I am a huge proponent of the Lincoln Housing Authority and the work they do toward the goal of affordable housing, Ringsmuth wrote.
I love hearing stories of families who took advantage of their Family Self-Sufficiency program, which helps individuals and families work toward and prepare for homeownership.
If elected, I would continue the community’s support for LHA and the various programs they have in place to help those in need find and keep a solid roof over their heads.
Unfortunately, with far too many government assistance programs, the goals are often backward. Instead of encouraging more people to take advantage of those programs and keep them on the programs indefinitely, the goal should be to help lift people up so they no longer need assistance.
The success of a government assistance program should be measured by how many people no longer need it.
At the same time, however, any program can be abused or fraudulently used. If elected, I would strongly support increased efforts to ensure affordable housing assistance goes only to those who truly and legitimately need it.