A year of Covid means that we’ve learned to work, shop, learn and recreate virtually. The result is empty office buildings, hotels and malls. We desperately need more housing, especially affordable housing, so it’s only logical to convert those empty structures into housing. But zoning laws are standing in the way of making an easy building conversion.
Our plans fell apart with the convergence of temporary Covid quarantines of several of our families and harvest season that left us short-handed on a number of weekends. Tragically, it was fire season that began in August that was the final blow.
Stanford economist Raj Chetty found that children who moved to lower poverty neighborhoods saw their earnings as adults increase by approximately 31%, an increased likelihood of living in better neighborhoods as adults, and a lowered likelihood of becoming a single parent. Children living in stable, affordable homes are more likely to do well in school and have opportunities to learn outside the classroom.
We’re a much more practiced group now, and we’re working as a team. We’re able to anticipate the next move, so there’s much less wasted time. Much more efficient, we’re spread out across the eight-unit complex, working on different jobs
With the dramatic drop in income for countless people due to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions fell behind in their rent or mortgage payments. The federal government helped for a month or two. Now our cities and rural areas are filled with people in deep financial trouble, facing frightening consequences of not being able to make their monthly payments.