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Inside Model/Z’s facility, local labor works to build high-quality housing to address the missing ... More middle housing challenges in Los Angeles.
Across the country, the essential workforce is being pushed out of affordable housing options. To work in a community, essential workers frequently have to purchase housing so far out that it takes hours to commute back and forth every day.
In some places, these lower paid workers resort to living in cars to stay close and to not take on the burden of a housing payment that is continually escalating, along with the insurance and taxes associated with it.
“People need to live near where they work and that is everyone across the economic spectrum – teachers, government, they shouldn’t get priced out of the markets they work in,” said Adam Berger who serves as manager at modular housing company Adam Berger Development. “You need these people to have housing nearby to serve their role in your local economy.”
These essential workers account for more than 80% of the U.S. workforce according to the National Association of Business Economics.
Yet, with housing costs outpacing income growth, the numbers of those impacted is rising. City officials are starting to recognize the impacts to their communities and local economies, and therefore focusing on the opportunity to provide housing at the right cost, serve the essential workforce, and create sustainable economics.
“We believe deeply that every good thing in this country is one degree of separation from housing,” Martin Muoto, housing advocate and CEO of SoLa Impact and Model/Z. “By enabling essential workers to own homes, we not only provide them financial stability today, but give them a pathway for their children and grandchildren to thrive within the communities they live.”
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