Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments published a report, which estimates the growing need for affordable housing in the region. For Montgomery County, unlike the District of Columbia and Fairfax County, the report predicted that three out of four future residents would require subsidized housing because of low wages.
Here is an excerpt from a recent Washington Post op-ed from County Executive Marc Elrich:
“I will not accept that view of the future, and no elected leader should. So let’s be clear: We need to attack the problem of affordability from both the high costs of housing and the inadequacy of wages, and that is how I intend to proceed. Leadership requires defining the future we want and committing resources to realize it. The future I commit to includes residents across the income continuum, with housing affordable to them; it also includes education that prepares our workforce for well-paying jobs and support for economic development that retains and attracts companies that offer those jobs. From our growing bio-tech companies to our efforts to grow manufacturing, we are working to strengthen our job market with higher-paying jobs. That is not magical thinking; that is solution-based reality.”Read the entire op-ed: Montgomery County lives in the real world of affordable housing here.
