The Real Price of Low-Cost Housing
Letter to the editor

I am opposed to low-cost housing anywhere in Mission Viejo, but my objections may be different from yours. The area where I live is still a lovely community but at great cost to the homeowners who try to preserve a nice neighborhood despite the effects of “affordable” housing. My personal reason is strictly from a selfish viewpoint: the value of my property will drop dramatically due to the NEW “affordable” homes that in very short order will also become blight in this beautiful city.

As an involved homeowner, I see firsthand every day how people who can afford only low-cost housing respond to the benefits of their state-assisted “handout.” They leave a trail of dirty diapers, not-always-empty six-packs of beer, partially eaten fast food, containers and plastic water bottles, and they never pick up after their pets, kids or guests. They EXPECT someone else to clean up after them.

In an effort to maintain a decent, respectable-looking neighborhood, we pay someone to walk the property each day and pick up trash from our lawns and parkways. Trash left by lazy, inconsiderate benefactors of state-assisted, low-cost, affordable housing shows how little they think of their homes, neighbors and city. Every single week, our property manager walks the property, writing violations for bent and broken screens, trash on patios that extends above the fence line, bed sheets used as window coverings, brooms and mops on decks, as well as empty boxes, broken furniture and sliding closet doors. We also see every conceivable kind of discarded appliance left sitting in the common area because people are too lazy to call Waste Management for a bulky item pickup and just do not give a damn! Occupants ignore broken, falling-apart homeowner-owned patio fences and covers because they cannot afford or are just too lazy to fix them.

We pay extra to have violation letters sent after a certain number of infractions, and we exceed that number every single month. We’ve started having special hearings to keep up with the violations and prevent the area from becoming a slum, which it would quickly become without an active board of directors! Many decent, taxpaying, homeowners have sold their homes and moved away because the slackers are ENTITLED to own their own home and do as they damn well please without considering anyone else.

The state-assisted benefactors give no thought to the people who actually worked and PAID for their home, sacrificed to come up with a down payment, went without a new car in order to pay back their loan, worked two jobs and worried over paying property taxes and association dues. They EARNED every penny and never once EXPECTED the state, county or city to subsidize them. All this was done while taking care of their own kids!

Every single day the offspring of low-cost, affordable-housing recipients are without adult supervision, causing vandalism, (21 sprinkler heads snapped off in one day!), broken split-rail fences, eggs thrown on cars, trash, graffiti, foul language, disrespectful actions towards residents and vendors, theft, broken car and home windows and intimidation of younger children. These kids create a danger to drivers in the area as they ride their skateboards, bikes and old desk chairs down the hilly city and private streets.

City Council members, think about what you are doing. You still have time to change the outcome and do the right thing by your city.