Subsidies for Affordable Rental Housing

Re “Residents, Developer Battle Over Housing Plans,” Feb. 18: The homeowners in the El Hoyito neighborhood are sadly misinformed about affordable housing -- and about public subsidy. Instead of being breeding grounds for future criminals, nonprofit-produced housing has a long history of reducing both crime and poverty and increasing community involvement -- a contribution to any community. The construction itself produces jobs, and the on-site services fill gaps left by dwindling state and federal resources. Every study that has examined affordable housing has found either an increase in surrounding property values or, at worst, no impact.

The largest public housing subsidy in this nation is the mortgage interest deduction -- three times the federal housing budget for low-income and poor families. Homeowners who oppose government support for affordable rental housing should be the first to renounce this deduction and demand its repeal.

Jan Breidenbach

Los Angeles