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According to Troy Anderson, CEO of Knowledgeplex, Inc in his Special Report on Housing; While this election season has focused primarily on the economy, the war in Iraq, and who is best qualified to lead, there has been relatively little mention of one issue that has great bearing on many of the other crucial topics that will come up for debate – affordable housing.

Invariably, when I tell people outside the field that I work in affordable housing, their response is either “Habitat for Humanity?” or “What affordable housing?!” I suppose it’s all right that people don’t know the intricacies of how the housing market is made to serve the needs of our communities and our neighbors. It is understandable that people may not always identify the many advocates and organizations working in their communities to get loans made and homes built for working families, rentals affordable, homeless housed, and blight torn down. However, we should all understand the effects of this work.

First, there’s the “where” factor.Where you live determines the caliber of public education that kids in your neighborhood receive. It impacts your family’s safety. Where you live relates directly to the quality of the air you breathe, the price of gas you will pay, and the language people will speak at restaurants, gas stations, and voting booths.

Then, there’s “how." How much money you have saved is often determined by your home equity and the distance you travel to work. Don’t get me started on who, what, and why -- you get my point. Your home, your neighborhood, your savings, and your pursuit of happiness all directly inform numerous issues that our leaders will need to address. Ironically, many of these issues are relegated to the back pages rather than the national spotlight.

Housing does benefit from the work done on such critical matters as health, education, transportation, jobs, and other “big ticket” election issues. However, housing can also help solve some of the challenges of these issues. Thus, if the benefits from housing extend to other areas, perhaps a little more focus is warranted. With this hypothesis, we at KnowledgePlex asked Lora Engdahl, our stalwart Week in Review editor, to work on a summary piece on affordable housing, with the goal of getting people up to speed on the topic before the election. We knew the task would be big but, now, after reading it, it seems even bigger. Not only is foreclosure and subprime lending just one part of the affordable housing issue, it might not even be the biggest challenge before us.

In November, you will have the chance to determine the focus of this country’s next leadership on affordable housing and its wide-reaching implications. In this Special Report, we hope to provide you with some questions – and answers – to ponder before making your voice heard.

Troy
CEO, KnowledgePlex, Inc.