GIP Event: Affordable Housing
On Tuesday night, I attended the GIP Affordable Housing event hosted by our very own Ian MacLeod and Victor Swezey. I was very interested in everything the panelists had to say and I learned a lot.
The first thing I appreciated about the event was that Victor and Ian gave a background of the issue so that all of the attendees had a context in which to place the expert information given by the panelists themselves. After hearing Victor and Ian's grant proposal and going to the Hive Be Good event, I had learned most of what they talked about, but I think it really benefitted the students there who didn't know anything about the issue of affordable housing.
The panelists themselves included an architect, the director of affordable housing in Pasadena, a lawyer who works with evicted families, and a tenant's rights advocate. I think the most impactful part for me was learning about the unjust ways in which tenants, specifically low income or immigrant families, are treated. I previously saw the issue more as a phenomenon where the free market is driving people out of housing altogether than people being discriminated against.
Another very important lesson I learned at the event was that the lack of affordable housing is a symptom of greater issues. In order to address it in a lasting way, we have to address the root causes of inequality and the failure of our social safety nets.
Thank you to everyone who helped put this event together!
The first thing I appreciated about the event was that Victor and Ian gave a background of the issue so that all of the attendees had a context in which to place the expert information given by the panelists themselves. After hearing Victor and Ian's grant proposal and going to the Hive Be Good event, I had learned most of what they talked about, but I think it really benefitted the students there who didn't know anything about the issue of affordable housing.
The panelists themselves included an architect, the director of affordable housing in Pasadena, a lawyer who works with evicted families, and a tenant's rights advocate. I think the most impactful part for me was learning about the unjust ways in which tenants, specifically low income or immigrant families, are treated. I previously saw the issue more as a phenomenon where the free market is driving people out of housing altogether than people being discriminated against.
Another very important lesson I learned at the event was that the lack of affordable housing is a symptom of greater issues. In order to address it in a lasting way, we have to address the root causes of inequality and the failure of our social safety nets.
Thank you to everyone who helped put this event together!
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