'Housing Debacle' 

Editor:

Terrific expose ("The Housing Games," Dec. 13). Please do more collaborations with students! Sharing details of this crisis has now placed the burden firmly on the shoulders of our whole Humboldt County community.

Are there those among us who can see the future we are walking into if we don't address this issue quickly? Many have arrived at the threshold.

A solution isn't as difficult to implement as state, county and city and university government would have us believe. Visionaries and entrepreneurs use flexible, adaptable and open-minded thinking to accomplish their goals.

Just google tiny villages. A few hours drive from here we can see what other communities are planning and already living in!

There are numerous people in this county who have been trying to address the housing issue for seniors, students, families, low wage earners, homeless, single mothers, children, newlyweds, working people, professionals, veterans (get the picture?). Is it time to stop talking and start creating? (Recall Betty Chinn creating a tiny village with very little funding?) How can the roadblocks be removed?

My gratitude to all those working so hard to be heard on this issue. Feed, shelter, heal.

I wish I owned some land.

Renee' Rawski, Eureka

Editor:

Thank you for the story, "The Housing Games." The Area 1 Agency on Aging is extremely concerned about the housing shortage and its impact on seniors and anyone living on a fixed income. The current market is making it next to impossible for our constituents to find safe, affordable housing. 

A1AA encourages homeowners to consider shared housing. There are many people in our county living alone in a home that is too big for their current lives. They are reluctant to move for a variety of reasons, including the lack of smaller, easily maintainable, accessible homes or condominiums in our area. As a result, their larger home is used primarily for storage rather than housing.

While it isn't for everyone, sharing a home with a student or another older adult seeking housing can be a win-win for everyone. I know several people who have chosen this option. While it is true you don't have 100 percent privacy, you also don't have 100 percent isolation. The stories about people of different walks of life and generations living together and supporting each other make shared housing worth a serious look.

A1AA has partnered with Silvernest.com to provide a simple way to find the right person, but we need more homeowners to open their empty nest to others. Silvernest provides background screening and sample rental agreements and A1AA will assist seniors without computers to set up an account with Silvernest and start your search for the right roommate. We hope more people will consider this option as a small, yet powerful way to address our housing debacle.

Maggie Kraft, Eureka