A nice house with a white picket fence has long been the embodiment of the American Dream. With home ownership comes pride and stability. A place to call home, raise a family, build a life.
In Washington, D.C. today, there is a 40-year wait for affordable housing. That’s not a typo. Forty years. It doesn’t take much to turn a rented apartment, trailer, or a house into a home. But it does take something and that starts with a roof over your head covering a safe and stable structure.
Without this basic security, where are we?
When you look back at the home you grew up in or the one you live in now, what do you remember? For some, memories are dominated by loving exchanges and silly stories. For others, they describe the physical space as if it were something to be overcome.
What helps make these homes affordable for some is the fact that we are able to claim a tax deduction for our mortgage interest. This is an invisible benefit that we often take for granted, and we would never consider the homeowners who take it on their tax return as “takers.” Even though this benefit, in financial terms, is larger than the annual food stamps benefit that a family of four is able to receive.
When we have a good home to call our own, we simply live better. We sleep easier, we stress less, our children can study and play without unnecessary worry and distraction.
Tonight, go for a drive or a walk. Try and visit a few different neighborhoods. Check out the McMansions AND the row houses. Assume children in both types of homes receive the same amount of love. Now ask yourself: What is different?Learn more about HOME & FAMILY and how it contributes to who we are.