Community Roundtable Program Index

Community Roundtable - August 21, 2001

Every Tuesday, community activists bring their perspectives to a wide range of issues of local concern.

August 21, 2001
Topic: Affordable Housing
Producer: Paul Atkinson
The demand for afforable housing in Arizona far exceeds the supply. Community leaders talk about why there are so few homes or apartments that people can afford to rent or buy. And the problems will only get worse. Skyrocketing home prices, along with the growth of low-paying service industry jobs will do little to alleviate the problem. Find out what some possible solutions are and what it will take politically to increase the number of affordable homes.

In-Studio Guests:

Teresa Brice-Heames Co-founder, Senior Vice President, Housing for Mesa, Inc.

Sheila Harris Community Development Consultant, Chairperson, Phoenix Commission on Housing & Neighborhoods

Gloria Munoz Director, Arizona Office of Mutual Housing, Inc.

Transcript
"I think everybody wants to own a home. That's what they say. That's the American dream. What we know is that right now the homeownership rate in Arizona is about 68%, last numbers I saw but we know for the minority community that generally has lagged about 20% behind. For the Latino community, we're looking at a 48% homeownership rate and that's after a whole decade of increasing homeownership opportunities for minority buyers."
Teresa Brice-Heames
Read the complete transcript

Important Links and Resources
American Planning Association
Fannie Mae
Habitat for Humanity
Housing and Urban Development
Local Government Commission
Urban Land Institute

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