In an op-ed piece in Statesman of Austin, Texas, Ed Wendler, Jr. says the most important issue in the upcoming city council elections should be affordable family housing. As a developer in a city where rents increased 7.2 percent last year and are expected to continue rising the next three years, he tells MHProNews.com wages are not rising, and housing takes 30 percent of a family’s income. If the trend continues, families will have to sacrifice health care, food, clothing, insurance, and transportation. Wendler says the focus on an upcoming federally subsidized “sustainable” project in Austin will no doubt be on solar energy, rainwater harvesting, recycled water, and other features that raise rent. He says, “Let’s see how affordably we can build housing that is family- and kid-friendly, energy-efficient, practical, durable, and constructed and financed without public subsidy. The bottom line: High rents prevent families from getting ahead.
