Local representatives gathered at the Midland College Cogdell Learning Center to share information about local resources and address questions about housing options. Some inquiries related to opportunities for turning vacant land in the area into affordable housing sites.
Local representatives gathered at the Midland College Cogdell Learning Center to share information about local resources and address questions about housing options. Some inquiries related to opportunities for
... moreWith figures showing that the median price of houses sold and rents in the area jumped over the past year, affordable housing took center stage at a panel discussion Thursday.
Local representatives gathered at the Midland College Cogdell Learning Center to share information about local resources and address questions about housing options. Some inquiries related to opportunities for turning vacant land in the area into affordable housing sites.
David Diaz, executive director of the Midland Community Development Corp., said that, like housing, pricing for vacant lots has increased. He said that makes them out of reach for affordable housing.
RELATED: Report: Rents in Midland increase by nearly 28 percent over 12 months
“The people who do own them wind up selling to for-profit builders that are coming in and building $200,000-plus homes on those vacant lots,” he said.
Midland rents increased nearly 28 percent year over year, according to the January 2018 report from Apartment List.
The median price of homes sold in Midland County last month was $261,500, according to Permian Basin Board of Realtors. That figure is an increase from a median price of $237,500 the previous December.
Also, the number of total homes on the market last month was 239, a drop from a 481 in December 2016, according to the figures.
RELATED: PBBOR: Housing supply in Midland drops dramatically in December
“The less of the supply that there is, the higher the demand,” Diaz said after the event. “Therefore it creates a high price on whatever inventory is available. It’s a problem because so long as there’s not a sufficient inventory, the prices that are being asked for these houses continue to gradually go up.”
Diaz was one of four members of Thursday’s League of Women Voters panel. Other participants included: Alynda Best, executive director of Midland Habitat for Humanity; Jeanette Castaneda, director of Midland County Housing Authority; and Isaac Garnett, community development manager for the City of Midland.
Pat Stanley with LWV hoped people would walk away with knowledge about the resources in the community.
“The college is such an opportunity for us to get the word out,” she said. “To me, that’s the most important part.”
In the Cogdell building, the Business and Economic Development Center offers credit counseling and homebuyer education. Alfredo Chaparro, the center’s director, served as the panel moderator.
“As one individual, because of my work in this building, I would say not everyone is related to the oil industry,” Chaparro said before the event. “There are some careers that are having a really tough time with the cost of housing right now, especially the apartments.”
Some panelists echoed that message. Best said housing opportunities help to provide stability for people working in various parts of the workforce.
At the Midland County Housing Authority, Castaneda said the focus is helping families to become self-sufficient. She said Midland has done work to provide affordable housing, but the economy also plays a role.
“When we get hit with a boom, like we’re getting into now, it makes it very difficult to house families,” Castaneda said. “Even on the Section 8 affordable housing program, it’s hard for them to find affordable housing to utilize the vouchers.”