Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Nicest House In The Hood

Okay...
Maybe the burglar bars give it away.
But this house could be in any middle-class area of most parts of the country.
This is a photo of a house in the often maligned Compton, California.

And so is this.
The black steel bars of the fence are reminiscent of the iron bars that often surround most projects throughout most of the country.
But the home itself is better than many homes in areas that are considered to be middle-class.

But the biggest waste of money is in rebuilding the hood "one house at a time".
(Oh, the above photo is also of a home in Compton, California)

This past weekend, I spoke to a couple who were interested in building a bigger house on a lot they owned next to their existing house in the hood.
But why build a large brick home in a neighborhood of run-down homes?

Materials cost the same regardless of where the home is located.
Labor is often charged at a premium in many bad areas because of the likelihood of theft of a contractor's tools, construction materials and any unsecured appliances.
Any money saved on land costs will be eaten up the cost of the contractor having to rebuild structures or replace materials.

So...
If a nicer house can be built in the hood or in a "nice" area - choose the nicer locale.
Why build a home for $200k when the resale value of the home is going to be closer to $150 in the hood.

Having the nicest house in the hood usually requires one to add the ubiquitous iron bars to protect what one already has (or what many in the surrounding area will assume one has.).
These bars give the image of an unsafe area - further devaluing one's investment.
Who would pay the full price for a home in which they were essentially a prisoner?

Another school of thought is to rebuild entire areas of the hood..
But this gentrification leads to the raising of property taxes - even to those with the less desirable homes.
These new (higher) taxes lead to many having to move to a more affordable area (even though they've owned their homes for years) - or to become renters in an area where they were once able to be owners.
Eventually, the neighborhood becomes another 'Uppity Negro Neighborhood' - with national franchises and chains replacing the (once) family owned businesses.
Those who are displaced by these improvements are forced to move to an area that is worse than was their old "ghetto" neighborhood.

How many working class white neighborhoods have become ghetto Black neighborhoods?
It's not the immigration of Blacks that causes the ghettos.
It's the rapid influx of the ghetto mentality that facilitated the demise of these areas.
People stopped caring and allowed their areas to become someone else's responsibility.
It's the over-dependence on others that causes these problems to persist.
This mentality draws others who share the same views and exacerbates the problems.
The ghetto isn't the "Ghetto" because it contains simpler homes - the ghetto is the "Ghetto" because it contains simpler minds.

So, we can't save the ghetto - the ghetto must first begin to save itself.

5 comments:

brohammas said...

Simple minds may be harsh. Not harsh to all, but still.
You cannot revitalize a ghetto by creating better buildings or changing one's mind set.
It would take a wholistic effort.
No matter how a person gets to the bottom of our social ladder, once there things get disspraportionately difficult. Th eless rescources you have to expend, the more effort it takes to get by. Increased effort takes increased energy. To get increased energy, one needs more resources to expend.... and down the spiral goes.

Are you familiar with a book/curriculum called "Bridges out of Poverty"?
I think you would find it more than interesting.

Citizen Ojo said...

It's like when people think that money will solve all the problems in the hood. The richest people in America could build the best brand new state of the art school right in the worst neighborhood in America. They could bring in a grocery store that sells AFFORDABLE fresh produce. They could get rid of the check cashing places and place real banks in the neighborhood. They could even fix the roads, cut the grass and tear down old buildings. BUT....if you still let pookie sell drugs on the block, you don't keep your own house and yard clean, you don't discipline your children, you still by chips and cookies for dinner....then it will be all for nothing. As a person once said "If I can't CHANGE the people around me, the I will CHANGE the people around me."

uglyblackjohn said...

@ brohammas - This blog keeps my reading list growing. I'll look for the book.

My biggest beef is that too much is offered to the hood. For many (not all) the choice to remain "poor" is in one's financial best interest.

To me, it's as though people are being paid to stay poor.
I can't count the people I meet who are receiving 51/50 checks because they get more money and qualify for programs that enable them to have a better standard of living than if they worked at a job that paid for their limited skill set.

IMO- If we eliminated all government programs - people would sink or swim.
The short term losses would be outweighed by the long term gains.

@ Ojo - But to act and expect otherwise would be seen by many as "Acting White".
It's the misunderstanding of thinking that Black Culture=Ghetto Culture.

uglyblackjohn said...

@ brohammas - This blog keeps my reading list growing. I'll look for the book.

My biggest beef is that too much is offered to the hood. For many (not all) the choice to remain "poor" is in one's financial best interest.

To me, it's as though people are being paid to stay poor.
I can't count the people I meet who are receiving 51/50 checks because they get more money and qualify for programs that enable them to have a better standard of living than if they worked at a job that paid for their limited skill set.

IMO- If we eliminated all government programs - people would sink or swim.
The short term losses would be outweighed by the long term gains.

@ Ojo - But to act and expect otherwise would be seen by many as "Acting White".
It's the misunderstanding of thinking that Black Culture=Ghetto Culture.

brohammas said...

I aint sayin nothin' about social programs till AFTER I find a job.