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Humboldt County, CA June 6, 2006 Election
Smart Voter

Affordable Housing

By Patrick Thomas "Pat" Higgins

Candidate for Supervisor; County of Humboldt; District 5

This information is provided by the candidate
Pat Higgins recognizes that with only 12% of Humboldt County residents able to afford the median priced home that we have an affordable housing crisis and he will make it a priority work with communities to increase affordable housing projects.
Pat Higgins is committed to providing opportunities for working families to own a home and to creation of affordable rental units. Despite the high cost of land and increasing costs for infrastructure, there are tools we can use to continue to provide affordable housing. These include:

  • Housing Trust Funds
  • Land Banking
  • Community Land Trusts
  • Redevelopment Housing Set-Aside
  • Affordable Housing Overlay Zones
  • Inclusionary Zoning

There are numerous examples of well planned affordable housing projects in Humboldt County that fit in with the character of the neighborhood, but also provide below market purchase prices for qualified buyers. Pat Higgins will work with communities throughout the Fifth District, developers and nonprofit housing organizations to help define where affordable housing would be most compatible and to find the resources to make projects work.

While we all favor having affordable housing as a concept, neighborhoods often reject proposals. The way to overcome this is to draw the neighbors into creating the vision for how their community will grow. Pat is committed helping create and to participating in local forums to reach agreement on how to meet affordable housing needs.

Humboldt County needs to provide affordable housing for a healthy community. The vitality of the community is dependent on providing housing stock for young working families, our elders and people from all walks of life.

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ca/hm Created from information supplied by the candidate: April 30, 2006 17:11
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