There are many benefits to having adequate affordable housing for working families located in a community. Workforce housing allows the critical community workers and emergency responders, such as police, fire and medical personnel, to live in the same communities in which they work.
According to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) a family is overburdened when it spends more than 30% if it’s household income for housing cost.
When a family has to spend more than 30% of their household income it forces the family to have to go without some basic essential of quality of life. They must decide to pay for housing while forgoing a need such as childcare, nutrition, transportation, education, etc.
It is essential in creating rooftops to support surrounding businesses either as a workforce or a customer. Additionally, the Harvard Joint Commission on Housing Studies reports that diverse housing creates long term stability within neighborhoods. Therefor assisting in maintaining the overall property values of neighborhoods. Lastly, a workforce housing development can be a catalyst in spurring other reinvestment and development in areas that have been in decline and lost its foot traffic or pedestrian base.
Workforce housing developments are best suited to be near employment centers, amenities and services such as schools, grocery stores, and health care centers and next to a public transportation route or ride share program.
Harvard Joint Commission on Housing Studies reports there is no relationship between population density and crime. Well-designed housing with adequate lighting, landscaping, and good management can all help reduce the potential for criminal activity.
A little known fact is multi-family developments contribute only 0.01 to 0.015 students per unit to the student population. Single Family Homes contribute 0.6 students per unit to the student population.
Typically, mulitfamily workforce housing will have a vehicular count of 1 to 1.5 vehicles per multifamily unit. By comparison, a single-family home of 4, comprised of both teenagers and adults will have between 2 - 3 cars per single-family household. So workforce housing typically generates less vehicular traffic versus single-family neighborhoods.
