Housing Solutions :: Investment not Subsidy

Sunday, 26 June 2016 - about 6:45pm PST

I believe it is too hard for ordinary people to affect the huge processes of the government, especially for those people dependent on their services.  I have had my life destroyed by my efforts more than once.

Because of my age and health, and lack of GOD's financial blessings so far, I have been trying to share some of ideas I would be willing to try if I had the ability to do so.  Right now I am making a larger effort to contact people in charge of the funding for homeless programs in Portland OR (PDX).  I hope it is OK to share what I wrote this morning to the Chairperson of the County Commissioners, but I thought it had a lot of useful information in it.  I hope that others will see it and think about creating this kind of program in their areas.

I included the source of my commitment to this search, even though it may cause problems with the local powers.  It is not a good thing to be a Christian in this city, and it is becoming hazardous in the entire state as well.  My focus with Working Together is to create housing for Christians... the government is trying to rid the streets of the symbols of poverty.  Somewhere in the middle are the people suffering each day who just need help... myself included.

This is just ONE IDEA, but it is really a good one and the government may be the only one willing to invest in it.  I don't know.  I would invest in this kind of program if I had the resources, and I continue to work on housing designs that will be affordable at that level.  If you have ideas or comments about this effort, let me know them below.  Thanks.

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Housing solutions
Deborah Martin (work2gather@yahoo.com)
mult.chair@multco.us;
Sunday, June 26, 2016 1:58 PM


Sunday, June 26, 2016
Hello, Ms. Kafoury...  I had hoped to be building lots of low-income solutions to housing many years ago, but GOD seems to have had a different plan.  I have been sharing some of my suggestions with as many government offices associated with the issues and organizations I know of.  My expertise comes from too many years in poverty and homelessness... the two go together as often as addictions and homelessness and prison.  Not the life I had hoped for, but I feel it all applies to my purpose in life :: building resources for the Christian community so they will be able to survive as much of the End Times as possible.  With the computer comes the possibility of the prophesied "Mark of the Beast" which will control all buying and selling and lead to the deaths of however many Christians there are refusing it... probably a computer chip, but no one really knows for sure.  I do know that I have read (years ago) that chips are already being used in people's bodies as a means of financial "safety" and fraud protection.  It will sound very reasonable when it gets here.

Why did I share this... to let you know how serious these issues are to me, and to those who believe in the Bible.  When I was homeless, I realized that was the slow demise of others like me... especially as persecutions increase.  Housing options became very important.  When I discovered the $20,000 House at auburn.edu 's Rural Studio program, I was more focused on how to bring that concept to both urban and rural locations.  The possibilities rose and then the "Tiny House" was born.  :-)   Somewhere in all that smallness is the solution for millions of poor and homeless people and families.  Urban areas are the biggest challenge, but home ownership is critical for its success as an intervention option...ownership creates stability and security and allows the permanent development of support networks and growth.  Renting is just a pause in the problems... leading to repeat cycles... over and over and over again.

Naturally, I have a zillion different ideas. I have shared some with the Mayor and Ms. Fritz in the past.  I can't recall who else right now.  I will send you a finished description when I get it done, but before I leave this email I will share that my funding design is based on the Bible... in the OT where GOD says that people can borrow their tithe, but they have to pay an additional 20% when it is returned.  I couldn't find a timeline, so I am trying to decide if the Jubilee applies, or the 7 year thing, or if the traditional 15 year contract is acceptable.  I have created a limit of $50,000 for the housing loan, but this is divided into a maximum house cost of $40K and the 20% interest payment at $8K, and the final $2K would be the loan processing fee.  I'm working on the insurance issue... I hope to find something that will fit into the 30% of income payment it would start with (based on the subsidy process the government already uses).

There are new designs all over the internet... and competitions could be created at architecture schools, or with the general public, or both, to find even better and greener designs.

The other thing I thought might be a good choice for government programs is to separate the land value from the "improvements" (the house, etc.).  This would keep the tax burden down for the homeowners until we can find a way to end property taxes.  :-)  (serious!)  With this kind of arrangement, the owner can agree to sell the house to another homeless/low-income household when they are ready to move.  The land value would remain an asset for the government, and new revenues can be applied to increasing the ownership option to those who will come in the future.

Just this one change makes housing a long-term profitable program instead of an expensive liability.  It also changes the direction of life for those who benefit by it.  The government lending program can be flexible when crises appear, and they will... they can also offer residents help in other areas of their lives they begin to want to change, like education, work, recovery, etc.  This option is especially good for disabled and mentally challenged people... stability allows you to grow past Maslow's survival stage.

I hope you will read my suggestions when they get there.  :-)  People in "high places" see the poor only as a burden.  I bet many of them would offer you good suggestions to think about.

Sincerely,
Deborah Martin

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NOTE ::  This is my first effort at sharing an email. I hope I didn't miss any of the text, or corrections that were required.  When I finish the description of other housing ideas the email mentions, I will also post it here and elsewhere.  I don't know how long my life will last, I just want to get these ideas into the conversation.  I feel they are good for an urban community like Portland, and solve the problems faced daily by homeless people.  I feel the current way of doing things is punishment focused and costs more to keep in place because it causes more destruction than necessary.  I hope someone listens.  Deb