Assignment:
In your response posts:
Evaluate 2 other students' initial posts.
•Do you agree with their assessment of the potential effects and proposed response to the homeowners/renters?
•Why or why not?
•Ask questions and challenge each other
1-Angelo Delieto
Discussion
According to www.zillow.com, the median home value in Hamden, CT is $195,200. The median list price per square foot in Hamden, CT is $131, which is lower than the average of $154 in New haven, CT. The median price of homes, as of 11/25/17, in Hamden is $199,900 while the median price of homes that sold is $179,355. The median rent price in Hamden is $1,750, which is higher than the New Haven Metro median of $1,500 (Zillow, 2017).
According to the US Census 2010, the median income for a household in the town was $66,695, and the median income for a family was $88,613. The per capita income for the town was $34,596. About 3.8% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over (Zillow, 2017). Individuals and families live in a variety of housing options throughout town from apartments to condominiums to multifamily homes to single family homes to luxury homes. There are several assisted senior living centers as well as 55 and over communities.
Initially both homeowners and renters will be affected similarly with the loss of their residence. All displaced residents should be provided with access to temporary sheltering if they do not have the ability to rely on family or friends for assistance. In Hamden, CT the high school can be used for temporary sheltering where food, water, showers, and sanitation services can be provided by the American Red Cross.
In Hamden, officials have access to three local universities for temporary sheltering needs, if school is not in session. Additionally, there is large areas of open space that is centrally located which may be used to set up temporary housing for the displaced.
Homeowners within the affected area may choose to set up temporary housing on their affected property in the form of a travel trailer. This may give the homeowner and their family a sense of normalcy being on their own property. Renters who transition from temporary sheltering may be able to locate permanent housing quicker than homeowners by finding another place to rent. The drawback to this is the high probability of relocation to either another town/city or different part of town. Homeowners will find the process of transitioning from temporary sheltering to permanent housing more time consuming and a longer process than initially expected. Senior citizens who rely on assisted living may find the transition to permanent housing to be the most difficult. This could be due to relocating to another facility further away from an area they are familiar with, further from family, and possibly a new staff to get used to.
The first step that should be taken to make the experience of finding housing more positive for the affected community members is to set up a community group similar to a "locally led Long Term Recovery Group/Committee (LTRC)" (Phillips, 2016). A forum such as this would aid those affected by giving them a place to go for assistance. Displaced residents can get up to date information on recovery efforts, available programs, funding and grants, and provide them with a forum to air their grievances and concerns if necessary. This type of constructive criticism and input can help emergency managers, local officials and recovery crews better assist community members throughout the recovery process from housing issues to mitigation measures to landscape repair.
Additionally, I would hold town hall type meetings at least twice a week to meet and speak with members of the affected community. Having this type of frequent interaction with community members will ensure that officials are keeping up with and meeting their needs as they transition to permanent housing.
Richard Lennon
curently I live in North Branford Connecticut, which is about 10 miles east of New Haven, CT. North Branford is primarily considered a bedroom community due to the limited amount of commercial and industrial properties in town. As of the last US census there are currently 14,407-year-round residents living in town. There are currently 5,629 housing units in town, with a median value of $239,800, and an average rental price of $1,736 per month.
Losing 1,000 housing units in my town would be catastrophic to our community. There are no large complexes or institutions in our town where some of the displaced could be housed, therefore the only solution for anyone living in these 1,000 housing units would be for them to be relocated somewhere outside of the community. With an average of 2.66 people per household according to the US Census, that would be equivalent to losing just over 18 percent of the town's population. Local businesses could be negatively affected because of the smaller pool of available customers. In addition to the economy, the over all town budget would also be affected. An event like this could mean that the town would now be short just over 7.6 million dollars in tax revenue, which is 15% of the town's 50-million-dollar budget. I do however think that the residents who were not affected by the disaster may see an increase in their own property value. North Branford is land locked by Southern CT Regional Water Authority and Tilcon Quarry, therefore there is a very limited amount of vacant land available for people to purchase to build homes. If someone wanted to move to North Branford, their only option is to purchase an existing property. Since there will be less properties to chose from because of the disaster, I believe there would be an increase to the property values of the remaining homes because of the supply shortage caused by the disaster.
Today I would have temporary housing plans in place that would last at least three weeks, which would then give those people affected, and town officials the time to find suitable long-term housing for those affected. Options after this three-week period would be to help those affected relocate either to other communities, or bring in temporary housing to a town owned property through FEMA. Unfortunately, there are limited local options for a town of my size.