Affordable Housing Myths

Misconceptions about affordable housing hold us all back. Let’s discuss the truth about these properties and discover how they can benefit your community.

The last few decades have brought significant changes to the world of affordable housing. Unfortunately, some of the old myths surrounding this option have not changed along with it. 

Like anything else, when affordable housing isn’t understood, it’s subject to misconceptions. Unfortunately, many of these misconceptions can lead to resistance when it comes to incorporating new affordable housing in established communities. 

The truth is, affordable housing is an incredibly effective way to revitalize communities, all while giving hardworking, deserving people the chance to live in good quality housing. Not only do affordable housing residents benefit from these properties, but so do local businesses and other residents! 

Let’s discuss more of the real facts about affordable housing to provide you with the information you’re searching for.

Myth

Affordable housing and “Section 8” housing are the same thing.

Truth

Affordable housing is not the same as “Section 8” housing at all.

Rather than referring to a particular type of development, “Section 8” refers to a program that subsidizes housing costs..
Some of our residents are involved in the Section 8 program, but it’s important to understand they are different things.

Affordable housing provides housing to low-income families or individuals who qualify based on local and state guidelines. An HA determines eligibility based on different factors, including:

  • Annual gross income
  • Whether they qualify as elderly, a person with a disability, or as a family
  • U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status

In HUD’s Public Housing Program, rent (or Total Tenant Payment (TTP)) is calculated using a family’s anticipated gross annual income minus deductions.

On the other hand, Section 8 or the Housing Choice Voucher Program helps residents find their own place and use a voucher to pay for all or part of the rent.

Myth

Crime will go up and property values will go down with affordable housing built in my community!

Truth

The truth is, affordable housing can actually revitalize your community and make it better than ever before.

Affordable housing has actually been shown to help maintain or even increase property values in many instances, not to mention its many other benefits.

This includes how affordable housing complements education and the hard work educators do. Better educational outcomes, including reduced absenteeism, reduction in student turnover, and improved student performance are all common outcomes of adding affordable housing to a community.

We take great pride in building beautiful, sustainable affordable housing built to last. The only difference between our affordable housing properties and market-rate housing is their price and how residents qualify for them.

Myth

Economic growth is going to slow down if affordable housing is built in my community.

Sutton Oaks

Truth

This is yet another common misconception about affordable housing.

The truth is, a lack of affordable housing and its residents is what can actually slow economic growth because there aren’t enough employees to fill many of the important jobs our residents have, including retail, healthcare, education, and fast food. An appropriate balance between higher and lower income homes is proven to be helpful in any community.

Artisan at Creekside

Myth

My neighborhood doesn’t have a need for affordable housing.

Truth

The need for affordable housing is present in almost every neighborhood, even those whose median income is over $100,000.

There are always seniors on fixed incomes and a number of other populations with a limited income in every city and town.

Those people need safe, affordable places to live just like everyone else! Our residents include hardworking people from a number of important industries, including healthcare, retail, social work, education, and law enforcement.

Sutton Oaks

Myth

Businesses won’t want to open up in our community if they’re near affordable housing.

Truth

Most businesses rely on their employees living nearby, and this includes retail, education, and a number of other industries.

Many affordable housing residents fulfill important roles in these fields. This means businesses will want to open up near where these workers live!

Myth

Market housing developments will stop when affordable housing is built.

Sutton Oaks

Truth

This couldn’t be further from the truth! Most of the time, affordable housing actually paves the way for market housing developments.

That’s just one way affordable housing can benefit a community, along with contributing to its overall economic growth and development, stronger job opportunities, and improved educational outcomes.

Sutton Oaks

Myth

Affordable housing will look old and run down before we know it.

Truth

At Franklin Development, we take great pride in creating beautiful affordable housing, but we don’t stop there!

Our commitment to the communities we build in does not end once construction is done. In fact, this is just the beginning. We work hard to make sure our buildings look just as great in the decades to come as the day they’re built.

At the same time, our residents also take great pride in these properties and work hard to maintain their homes. We also use a careful screening process in combination with our long-term maintenance plans to ensure caring for these properties is a partnership between our residents and us.

Franklin Park Sonterra

Myth

Affordable housing developers disappear once construction is done.

Truth

We’re not in this business to abandon our properties and their residents once construction is done!

Building affordable housing is just the first step in our commitment to communities and residents.

Once affordable housing is up, we stick around. We’re committed to contributing to the success of the people who live in affordable housing, as well as the neighborhoods we build in.

We work hard to support our residents and their communities in a number of ways, including offering impressive resident and social service programs.

Myth

Affordable housing residents are just looking for a government handout.

Sutton Oaks

Truth

Like everyone else, affordable housing residents are just people looking for clean, safe, well-constructed places to call home.

They are the people who teach your children, provide you with medical care, and perform other important work in your town.

Additionally, we carefully screen our residents with a process much more diligent than for market housing to ensure hardworking, contributing people get access to our affordable housing developments.

Myth

I’m not alone—most people in market housing won’t want affordable housing nearby!

Sutton Oaks

Truth

Only a small percentage of people in market housing don’t support building affordable housing in their areas!

In most cases, this opposition is simply due to a lack of understanding about affordable housing and how it can benefit a community.

Once residents have a chance to see the kinds of developments we offer and the hardworking people we build homes for, they tend to change their tune. At the same time, reading through these myths about affordable housing is helpful for demonstrating the advantages of affordable housing.

Are you curious about our affordable housing development projects?

Get in touch with the team at Franklin Development today to learn more.

We build communities around compassion

Franklin Development

We believe in treating everyone with dignity and respect. This dedication to our partners, employees and residents shine through in every aspect of our process and our exemplary communities.