The rubber meets the road
We live in a neigborhood full of socio economic diversity. Our street is pretty much an 50/50 racial representation, and has a broad range of professional and blue collar lifestyles. Around the corner from us is fairly run down rental property and streets full of smaller unkept bungalows. I enjoy this diversity every time I ride my bike. It is one of the reasons we moved here. We believe in mixed income housing, we want to be involved in cross cultural and interracial relationships, we want our children to be confortable and conversant here.
Then, yesterday we recieved the word that a develolper is planning to convert three apartment buildings at the end of our street into Section 8 housing. A neighbor down the street said "he's basically holding a gun to our heads demanding $20,000 of equity from our homes." I don't like the idea of being updside down on my mortgage. I imagine the scenes of instability and chaos usually associated with public housing and don't like the idea of my children being this close. I hope it will all go away...
Do you see the cognitive dissonance? I question my nimby attitudes. I've read Kunstler on the need and value of diversity of use and income in traditional development. I recognize that properly conceived, this sort of development is a good thing. I really do want a neighborhood that expresses diversity. However, I am troubled by the way section 8 housing encourages single parent households, property mismanagement by both tennants and land-lords, and systemic behaviour of dependence and lack of personal initiative. Section 8 housing is not the way to improve the diversity to our street. Its not the way to provide mixed income housing that promotes dignity and personal ambition for tenants. And oh yes ... I do want a neighborhood where my property values are appreciateing. When I want to move in 2 years - I don't want buyers to say "love the house, but couldn't live on the street."
On sunday Randy Nabors preached on the true nature of Faith (from the end of Hebrews 11). He talked about the victory we like to see in faith (Oh YES!), but then exposed the reality that faith is often full of sacrifice, that we will not see promises fulfilled on this side and that our hope needs not be here and now (Uh Oh - Oh NO!). I am convinced that faithfullness in this case is reaching out to brothers and sisters who are very different than myself - even if the sacrifice means less property value in my home - means not being able to think of selling this house for 5 years - means not expecting an idyllic neighborhood play zone for my kids. In the larger scheme of life - these are but nits, but this morning they hit me hard in the gut.
So the rubber of my faith meets the road of sacrifice and I don't like the burn....
Do you see the cognitive dissonance? I question my nimby attitudes. I've read Kunstler on the need and value of diversity of use and income in traditional development. I recognize that properly conceived, this sort of development is a good thing. I really do want a neighborhood that expresses diversity. However, I am troubled by the way section 8 housing encourages single parent households, property mismanagement by both tennants and land-lords, and systemic behaviour of dependence and lack of personal initiative. Section 8 housing is not the way to improve the diversity to our street. Its not the way to provide mixed income housing that promotes dignity and personal ambition for tenants. And oh yes ... I do want a neighborhood where my property values are appreciateing. When I want to move in 2 years - I don't want buyers to say "love the house, but couldn't live on the street."
On sunday Randy Nabors preached on the true nature of Faith (from the end of Hebrews 11). He talked about the victory we like to see in faith (Oh YES!), but then exposed the reality that faith is often full of sacrifice, that we will not see promises fulfilled on this side and that our hope needs not be here and now (Uh Oh - Oh NO!). I am convinced that faithfullness in this case is reaching out to brothers and sisters who are very different than myself - even if the sacrifice means less property value in my home - means not being able to think of selling this house for 5 years - means not expecting an idyllic neighborhood play zone for my kids. In the larger scheme of life - these are but nits, but this morning they hit me hard in the gut.
So the rubber of my faith meets the road of sacrifice and I don't like the burn....
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