Paper Example on Housing Shortage

Introduction

In contemporary society, there are very many aspects of life that many people would like to have within their possession and the housing is not an exception. This paper will, therefore, focus on the cause and effect, census and survey and the cost-benefit analysis of reducing the housing shortage in the Broward County.

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The following are some of the causes of the house shortages in Broward County; first, the small land that can be used for the construction of houses for rental purpose. This can be witnessed where the versed land is mountainous and does not provide a better topography for construction purposes. Besides, in the urban centers, the shortages in the housing can be as are the result of mass rural-urban migration. The rural-urban migration may be caused by several reasons that may compel the population from the rural to move to that of the town centers. For instance, there might be low harvest which may result to hunger and the need to have employment which may provide better pay for their upkeep both in the rural and in the urban setup may be a causative factor (Crowley, 2003).

Further, the increase in population in the city or town as a result of the high birth rate may make it hard for everybody to get accommodated. The high birth rate will produce a more significant population that will surpass that of the available the houses within the city thereby rendering some of the citizens homeless.

Lastly is the competition for the use of land. In the many towns, the area that may be available may only allow for the specific form of activities. Some of these activities include the construction of the slum houses or for the transport development. It may in a way allow only one form of the exercise either construction of the homes or roads but not all. As a result, many people will not benefit from the housing as a basic need in the urban centers (Feldman, 2002).

In addition to the causes of the housing shortages, there are also effects that come along with the same. Homelessness which is the act of not having a place that one may call home is one of the impacts of housing shortages in the city. Persons who lack a place to stay are prone to suffer some diseases resulting in poor health. This is because they will be subjected to rainfalls, lack of proper food and sleepless nights. As such, they will suffer both internally and externally depending on the type of infection that will crop during the period. For example, some might suffer from a skin infection, respiratory problems, disorders that come as a result of stress and other illness that may get their way into their systems.

Also, the lack of proper housing will result in the emergence of slums and squatter settlements. With the urge to settle the homeless, the government will try to set aside some land for cheap houses that the homeless can afford and stay. This will result into emanation of slums which will have diverse effects to the existing population which include and not limited to environmental pollution, poor health due to impoverished living conditions which will result into the low level of fitness and vulnerability will also form part of the effects (Hallett, 1993)

The environmental pollution as one of the impacts of slum dwelling will make it hard for the government to control discharges that may result from wastes. These wastes are some of the causative agents for serious illness to that existing population.

About the census of the Broward County, the result reflects that the county has one of the most growing populations. This has made or widens the gap that exists between the prices of rent and wages making it the highest the country. The survey further reveals that a good percentage of the population in this county is living within or below the poverty line.

The economic impact of the housing shortages in Broward County has significantly affected Florida, and therefore a cost-benefit analysis should be carried out to help fix the problem.

Besides, the effect on the economy can be rectified when inadequate housing in the county should be taken into consideration. This is because the analysis shows that most households struggles or spend almost half of their salaries in the housing. This, in turn, has affected the willing investors who feel they will not be able to retain their employees since the employees will lack a place to stay. Their expertise, therefore, will fade subsequently and further a need for recruits who will require the same training for the job. As a result, much of their money will be spent on training which is uncalled for (Heclo, & Madsen, 1987)

From the above effects, I would recommend that the government in the Broward county should punish those investors who have land and don't put them into use, the government should also sell their land at a cheaper price so that willing investors can buy and construct affordable housing for all and lastly, the government should provide and avail finances for the local planning teams. This would make it easier for the fixing of the housing problem in the above county (Huang, Shen, & Zheng, 2015).

Conclusion

In conclusion, housing form the better part of economic growth in any country or nation and everything should be done to ensure every citizen has a proper housing which may enable them to carry out their day to day activities without interference.

References

Crowley, S. (2003). The affordable housing crisis: Residential mobility of low-income families and school mobility of sick children. Journal of Negro Education, 22-38.

Feldman, R. (2002). The Affordable Housing Shortage Considering the Problem, Causes, and Solutions (No. 2-02). Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Hallett, G. (Ed.). (1993). The new housing shortage: housing affordability in Europe and the USA. Routledge.

Heclo, H., & Madsen, H. (1987). Policy and politics in Sweden: principled pragmatism. Temple University Press.

Huang, J., Shen, G. Q., & Zheng, H. W. (2015). Is insufficient land supply the root cause of housing shortage? Empirical evidence from Hong Kong. Habitat International, 49, 538-546.