Affordable housing must be promoted in the United States, according to a representative of the Jesuit Conference, especially in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina and the increasing inability of families to afford homes.
The national director of the Social and International Ministries, an office within the Jesuit Conference, spoke Wednesday at Marquette.
According to British Robinson, 3.5 million people a year experience homelessness nationwide, despite a 13-year housing boom that has resulted in low interest rates and nearly 69 percent home ownership across the country. More middle-income families are hitting an "affordability wall," she said, meaning they can't afford homes even with the low interest rates.
Robinson said housing is the biggest social problem currently facing the United States.
"Housing is a critical need whether you're seeking education or jobs," she said.
Wisconsin is just one example of the problem, Robinson said. At what she called the state's minimum wage of $5.15 (it was raised to $5.70 in June), a person would have to work 95 hours a week to afford the average two-bedroom apartment at $635. The minimum wage would have to be raised to more than $7, to $12.22, in order for the person to afford the rent.
The situation is even worse in Milwaukee, where the monthly rent for the average two-bedroom apartment is $694, Robinson said. A person would have to work 104 hours each week at minimum wage in order to afford the apartment, or the minimum wage would have to increase to $13.35.
Also, Robinson said, the average person nationwide spends 30 percent of his or her income on housing, while in Milwaukee, one-fifth of the citizens spend 50 percent of their income on housing.
When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans earlier this month, Robinson said 302,000 housing units were destroyed or damaged; of those, 216,000 were low-income.
"Katrina raised the disconnect between the haves and the have-nots," she said.
Hurricane Katrina also increased the amount of people in poverty, Robinson said. Prior to the hurricane, she said there were 37 million people nationwide in poverty; after Katrina struck, another million were added to the tally, making this the fourth consecutive year poverty levels have increased.
A pending bill designed to offset the cost of aid for hurricane victims may actually end up harming them, Robinson said. "Operation Off-Set" would cut programs for low-income people such as Medicaid and food stamps, but those in the affected areas who would not normally rely on these programs now have to because they lost their jobs.
Attendees of Robinson's lecture appreciated her ability to appeal to many different groups.
"She raised some great questions for students and public policy," said Stephanie Quade, associate dean of student development.
Robinson "made (the discussion) where it can be interesting to people of all fields," said Jasmine Battle, a freshman in the College of Health Sciences.
This article was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 29, 2005.