It’s Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to love and respect — core Mercy Housing values. Improving lives with affordable housing supports individuals’ ability to meet their full potential. Introducing new affordable housing properties into the community can be taboo. Not in My Backyard (NIMBYism– negative attitudes and feelings toward changes in the community in which you live) sentiment is a growing concern. When affordable housing is discussed, a variety of unsupported fears arise.

Check out the facts and links below,  dispelling common misconceptions:

• Affordable housing does not increase crime rates

• Affordable housing increases home value in many neighborhoods

• Low-income children relocated to nicer neighborhoods are likely to earn more over their lifetime, and have an increased chance of going to college

NIMBYism in the United States hasn’t always been so prevalent. Our agriculture roots traditionally kept neighbors far from visibility, but as we urbanized and mixed, NIMBYism grew out of a fear of change. A recent New York Times article, How ‘Not in My Backyard’ Became ‘Not in My Neighborhood,’ explores these concepts in detail.