housing is unaffordable for many, now a record number

Jan 27, 2024

I read an article this morning, “Housing is now unaffordable for a record half of all US renters, study finds.” Then this afternoon, I found out we had someone living in a tent just down and across the road from the barndo! Rain for days doesn’t make for comfortable living conditions, but the fog sure helps hide you.

so foggy in southern Indiana

I feel horrible for people that don’t have a warm place to sleep… BUT…

I’m also not a fan of strangers just secretly setting up and living where they’ve not been invited. The property owners weren’t happy about it either, and they don’t even live out here yet. They’ve cleared the ground and put in a driveway preparing to build their dream home. In the meantime, the town police had to do an eviction notice.

just looking for a place to sleep

They waited for him to load his stuff and dropped him off at a truck stop in neighboring Seymour. But then what?

According to a 1/25/24 report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, US homelessness rates hit a record high last year. There aren’t enough houses; rent has gone up; and federal housing subsidies are chronically underfunded. And we have a few migrants. 😏

Sure, the solution to prevent homelessness is affordable housing, but it will have to be large corporations or the government providing them. Even in Jackson County, Indiana, you can expect to pay at least $2500 a year in property taxes for a non-owner occupied house — add insurance and it’s at least $350/m before you figure in repairs, upkeep, profitability and a mortgage payment if you still owe on the property. (Yes… I KNOW from experience!)

It’s a crisis and it keeps getting worse. 🙁

Now you know: The original LEGO building bricks were based off a building toy made by British company Kiddicraft in 1947. LEGO started selling their redesigned version in 1949. In the late ’50s LEGO contacted Kiddicraft to ask if they objected to LEGO bricks. They did not, and wished LEGO good luck with them.