Taxpayers should only subsidize housing for people with low income

Who shall the city ot Thousand Oaks assist: a homeless single mother of three living out of her car or an intact family of four earning ($ fill in the blank) per year? It really does come down to that choice.

A recent Thousand Oaks Acorn editorial arguing that the city should give financial assistance to the “moderate income” for housing ignores the fact that government has very limited financial resources and must therefore assist those members of its community with the greatest need.

Some perspective: a moderate income family of four in Ventura County has household income of $64,500 or more.

Almost all of Many Mansions’ affordable housing targets those individuals and families who earn less than $40,000. Indeed, much of our housing is supportive housing for those who have been homeless, have a physical or mental disability, and are generally earning under $17,000 a year.

Our government has a clear moral imperative to help those who need the most help and who have no other support. Your editorial implies that it is somehow better to be low-income than moderate income. Yet, no one chooses to be poor. Our Many Mansions’ population rarely has the same choices and support system moderate income residents have. All, if they could, would like to be moderate income.

Government resources in affordable housing are limited. These resources are better expended on low-income residents. Your article on the $1.4 million “in lieu fee” for the development on Hillcrest Drive illustrates this.

The issue was whether the developer should reserve seven units within this development for “moderate income” households. In two of Many Mansions’ recent developments, we developed over 52 affordable units—13 for the disabled—with city assistance of $1.0 million.

To expand these resources to moderate income would dilute needed resources and hurt those with the most need.

In attempting to help all, you end up helping none. Rick Schroeder Executive Director Many Mansions Thousand Oaks