It's the very foundation of Maslow's Hierarchy. A basic need, if you will. We all need food, water, and shelter.
No doubt you're familiar with the term "housing crisis", but what does that really mean? It's a complex issue that can't be entirely described in one humble blog, nor can/should it be solved by one person alone. Still, the need for affordable housing in Oshkosh is one of the concerns I want to champion as a Councilman. My opinions on our housing crisis have been molded and reshaped time and time again the more I speak with residents from different walks of life or the community leaders who advocate for them. If you will, this is the way I see things today - no doubt this vision will continue to develop with your input. It's not the whole story of our city, I know, but if anyone among you has all of the answers for every group, then please go get your nomination papers and run for an open seat this April with me. I will sign them.
FOR YOUNG ADULTS
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh has been a driving force attracting smart young talent to Oshkosh. We townies go here, students from all over the state and country come here, even students from across the world travel to UWO. I'd venture that any of us who went to college can remember that feeling of wanting to stick around in that city when we were done, even if it was just for a few years. Well, as a City I think that we need to do a better job at making that feasible. Say it with me: retention, retention, retention! College graduates are a key economic driver - they're smart, they want to work, and they want to spend money. They're also loaded down with debt. There need to be more affordable options targeted specifically to young adults. I for one keep seeing high-rises go up with for-rent signs that never seem to leave, and from what I understand from folks just out of college is that these places are out of their price range. What else can we do?
FOR SENIORS* AND VETERANS
I've been thinking about the Tiny House Village a lot lately for a few different reasons. I've been struck by the sense of community that's formed already among this very specific group of people. I've also learned that it's drawn the attention of other groups yearning for similar living, notably veterans and seniors. Now the seniors in this scenario aren't just 55+ with good means looking for a nice complex, but rather older people who live with housing insecurity. A great need could be served in Oshkosh by envisioning similar villages for these groups like the poster child on Packer Ave. I talked about this briefly in another blog. I'm not an urban planner, nor am I a venture capitalist, but I would love to be a Councilman who brought those people together to make more dreams come true.
FOR HOME OWNERS
The stresses of homeownership are many. Owning a home is an ongoing investment. There's always a roof to replace, an appliance to fix, an internet bill to pay, the mortgage, etc. Most of this is out of the hands of your City Council - obviously City Hall isn't regulating federal home interest rates or the planned obsolescence of your dishwasher in ten years. What we can do for this group is continue to develop programs like the historic rehabilitation program, and educate homeowners on the benefits of historic home tax credits. Not in an historic home I hear you saying? The City can help ease some of those home project stresses by reevaluating the permit loopholes your general contractors need to go through. I've given that some thought in this vlog with Tim Neubauer a while back, too. And then there are the *surprise* moments of stress that come from special assessments, but that's a blog for another day...
FOR RENTERS
I feel for renters. They pay rent every month that they never see again the way that homeowners do in home equity. I have renter friends who don't so much care about the nature of those things as they do their monthly/weekly/daily cash flows. Wow, has rent gone up fast across the board, far outpacing wage increases. What I hear this segment of the population asking for is more affordable options. I heard this echoed again at a recent Council meeting with the advancement of the Butte des Mortes housing plan - people are expressing concerns about an over saturation in the high-end market, and not enough for citizens who want less. I agree that there need to be more plans put forth. And for at least the third time on this website I attest that the impending destruction of Historic Merrill school is deplorable. That could become a success story like the Smith School Lofts. How brilliant would it be to live in a city with the Historic Merrill Lofts being appreciated by residents who don't want or need high-end / high-cost housing. But I digress...
There's more to be said - transitional housing, housing rights for felons, housing needs for immigrants, etc. This is the tip of the iceberg. The point I'm trying to make though is that I think about the housing crisis in Oshkosh, I talk with groups about their experiences, and I listen to their stories. It is the role of a Councilman to do just that - to form an educated opinion - and to work with developers and other stakeholders to shape our City to fit the needs of its populace.
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