The word I’d like everyone to focus on is “affordable,” which is something that everyone apparently wants but which means different things to different people. 

To developers, providing “affordable” housing means letting a few people who wouldn’t otherwise qualify as purchasers buy the units the developers choose to build. That’s not the same thing as ensuring that low income residents have a roof over their heads.

We need to pay more attention to the legal implications of the words we use. A lot of terms commonly used in conversation have quite different meanings under local laws; are we all talking about the same thing? 

Instead of getting distracted by historical misunderstandings, let’s focus on what will move us forward.

Linnea Warren
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