Will Affordable Housing Afford Housing For The Homeless?

The Martini Republic blog writes today about recently elected L.A. Councilmember Jose Huizar’s views on affordable housing. Here's the blog article. Councilmember Huizar won Mayor Villaraigosa’s council seat, and was asked about his view on affordable housing. Especially after the Mayor announced a one billion dollar affordable housing bond.

Here’s what the blog said:
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What precisely is “affordable housing”? Usually, in a debate, when “affordable housing” came up, the candidates in the district, Jose Huizar too, began talking about the disenfranchised. But when we asked him about a real definition, Huizar, in a surprisingly candid moment, agreed that “we need to redefine what affordable housing is.” He spoke of expanding the City’s Affordable Housing Bond, and perhaps extending it to service personnel: firefighters, police officers, teachers, city clerical workers.

As it happens, these are all unionized para-government professions that haven’t previously required a boost when reaching out for a piece of the American dream. They’re a class of people who feel both like housing is out of reach. And they’re the very people who won the day the in Arnold’s ill-fated special election last Tuesday. They’re organized, tanned, fit, and ready-to-go. They’re ready to become affordable housing’s first—maybe only—near-term beneficiaries.
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So when the debate begins to pass a one billion dollar housing bond, the big question of the day will be… How much of this money will go toward housing the “no income” people in our community (particularly the homeless), and how much will house the “low income”?

Stay tuned for this debate to begin…