Opening the Doors to Housing

The Orange County Building Industry Assn. appreciates your July 15 editorial “Opening Doors to Housing” about the positive contributions we are making to Orange County’s low-income housing.

As the former director of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development, I participated in numerous negotiations for housing programs and housing dollars. It takes a tremendous effort to earmark state revenue for housing in view of the other overwhelming competing demands.

Although California voters recently approved three bond measures totaling $600 million, the money is just a drop in the bucket toward the problem. Roughly only 30,000 housing units throughout the state can be affected by the bond program. Compare that to the fact that there are 8,000 to 10,000 homeless people here in Orange County.

No one in the housing field believes that government can or should take care of the state’s housing needs. The problem is compounded by economics, local zoning, neighborhood resistance and lack of overall resources.

That is why your editorial is satisfying on two counts: It reinforces the fact that the private sector must join forces in contributing toward a resolution of the housing problem and it recognizes that our own efforts, as significant as they may be, are not, unfortunately, enough.

CHRISTINE REED

Executive Director

Orange County Building Industry Assn.