“I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood. Your housing prices will go up based on the market, and crime will go down.”
Tweet by President Donald Trump
The last run of the day for the #9 Oakville Metrobus, on the schedule, turns north on to Telegraph Road at Baumgartner at 11:13 p.m.
Only some days it gets to the bus shelter just after 11:00 p.m. and heads north around 11:05 p.m.
I know that because I often walk that part of Telegraph Road after 11:00 p.m. Not every night, probably three times a week when the weather cooperates.
Often the bus only carried the driver. Other nights a rider or two are aboard, including one gentleman who boards the last run at that shelter.
Other nights, as I head home, I see the gentleman trying to sleep on the aluminum bench in the shelter: the next bus comes by at 5:13 a.m.
Oakville’s restaurants (fast food and pricier) always need more staff. Yet, restaurant wages don’t allow life in Oakville. Per www.apartments.com, the cheapest one bedroom apartment within reasonable walking distance of that bus shelter (and scores of jobs) rents for $615 per month. That gets you 430 square feet in a 60 year old place. Around here landlords demand an income of three to four times the rent amount, meaning earnings of $1,830 to $2,440 each month. To put it another way, it takes better than 42 hours per week at $10.00 an hour – the advertised starting wage at the local McDonalds and Burger King – to qualify to live in the cheapest place in Oakville.
If you have a dependent and need a two bedroom place, well expect to pay almost $800 in rent and work 55 hours a week.
So, when the president promises suburbanites that he’ll allow no more subsidized or lower-cost housing, well, that’s code for keeping “those people” – workers vital to keeping local businesses open – away.
Want some reasons to support housing at diverse costs in every community?
- That’s the American ideal. Yes, each small American town included rich people and working people. All went to the same churches and schools, all lived in the same town.
- Living close to work is good for the environment. Less carbon and pollution get emitted by shorter commutes. People who walk more are generally healthier than those who drive everywhere.
- Employees who live close to work can be more flexible. If it take two buses and a Metrolink ride to get to work, it’s hard to pick-up an extra shift when a colleague calls in sick.
- It’s the right thing to do. Shouldn’t every working American have to right to live in a safe place and every parent be able to send their kids to good schools?
No, I’m not issuing a blanket condemnation of urban America…still, both types of lead poisoning afflict big parts of the city. Parents who want a better life for their children make hard decisions and sacrifice to work and live in a better place. We saw that all the time at Circle Of Concern. I met many, many families who committed 80% or more of their income to housing costs so that their kids could attend better schools – and earn a chance at a better life.
That back of the house guy sleeping on the shelter bench ought to have a chance to live close to where he works too.
Remember that Donald Trump’s family business drew repeated rebukes – and took legal hits – for housing discrimination. Some things, alas, never change.
Glenn