Joanne Neft
“I always want to live in a community that is as diverse as possible. I do that by choice. We lived at Tahoe for 20 years until the early eighties and I really appreciated that every neighborhood was incredibly diverse. Everyone came to the area from a different background—all from diverse economic backgrounds living next to each other. That’s becoming harder to find today.
“Our lives are richer when we live in diverse neighborhoods and when we make housing available in our community for all. It’s the cooks, the people who serve you at the restaurant, the person who makes your drink at the bar—they want to live here too—and they should be able to do so. To make housing affordable for all who choose to live and work in our beautiful county is vital. And we all benefit as a result.”
The importance of developing mixed-income communities with a range of housing options
People who need long-term affordable homes are just like you and me, with many already living and/or working in your community. Clerical workers, restaurant workers, young working professionals entering the workforce, retail industry workers, bank tellers, and daycare providers typically don’t earn enough to afford current market rate rents or housing prices.
Most industries include positions that simply do not pay enough for those workers to afford average mortgages or rents in Placer County. Having an adequate supply of long-term affordable homes in your town will help ensure that these workers can shop at local markets, eat at local restaurants, and fully participate in your local economy.
Affordable housing is also critically important for people on fixed incomes like the elderly and people with disabilities. These residents need rents that they can afford now and that will remain affordable over time.
