Posted on: Tuesday, May 25, 2004

Support high for cheaper housing

By Haya El Nasser
USA Today

Americans are so worried about skyrocketing home prices that most say they would support more affordable housing in their neighborhoods and even next door, according to a survey out today.

The findings challenge conventional wisdom that neighborhood opposition is a barrier to cheaper housing. Builders, local officials and housing experts long have said fears that such housing lowers property values are one of the main reasons apartments, town homes and small houses don't get built.

The National Association of Realtors commissioned the poll of 1,000 adults in the 25 most populated metropolitan areas.

The results may be a sign that the high cost of housing is hitting closer to home for many Americans. In many communities, teachers, nurses, police officers and firefighters can't afford to live where they work. The survey also shows that more than half of Americans worry that their children, grandchildren and other relatives can't afford to live close to them.

Housing experts say it's a sign that the outcry over the lack of affordable homes is no longer coming only from advocates of the poor and unemployed. A recent study by one advocacy group shows that while homeownership has soared to record highs, the rate among working families with children has dropped.