Mixed-income neighbourhoods

[sabotabby]

There's certainly something to be said for projects like this one, intended to decrease the ghettoization of the poor, rebuild crumbling neighbourhoods, and promote communities.

My problem? Why is it always about building market condos in poor areas? If mixed-income was really meant to benefit poor people, they'd be building social housing in Rosedale and Yorkville. In every case I can think of where mixed-income developments happen in an existing neighbourhood, it's always about the invasion of the rich into prime real estate that someone has inconveniently built a housing project on.

I sense ulterior motives, and a very local sort of imperialism.

Comments

[sabotabby]

There are a few housing projects in downtown/good locations here, and those are the ones targeted to be "mixed-income." Amazingly, there is no attempt to diversify the projects in the less desirable inner suburbs.

It's impossible to buy a place downtown now unless you're rich. Renting is still affordable, but not on a fixed income. Welfare and disability benefits are typically not enough to cover a decent place.

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

I think benefits/welfare here is still better than where you are, but our evil government is trying to get them as awful as possible in a short a time as possible! Until recently housing benefits did cover rent for any area, but now they are capping it so people on benefits are forced to live in the cheapest third of housing in whatever area, and they are trying to cap it so that it doesn't cover the high rents in more expensive areas, so places like Hastings, the seaside town I'm off to tomorrow (must zoom and pack!), are now overwhelmed with numbers of people on benefits moving in and have big social deprivation problems.

You couldn't possibly buy a house in London on a teacher's salary, I think. There are probably areas where you can get a flat for £250,000, and a teacher's salary is £26,000. Housing prices are insane! The social housing I live in, like both those my parents live in, are a mix of middle and lower-middle and working class people. Professors (like my stepdad), teachers, artists, film makers, as well as normal people working in local hotels and shops and in public services. It will be so so so appalling if it is all sold off or (as is happening now0 the rents are put up to market prices. Already the rents are being raised so they are unaffordable (one of my terrors about finding a job one day!).

I should get on with that article on the history of local housing idea I had! I did some research and then got stuck.