DirtDrift 2018: Build Days (9/14 & 9/15)

Morning Huddle with NeighborWorks

Unlike other Bike & Build trips, our build days on this trip were not spread out over the week. Due to the remoteness of the areas where we'd be biking and the general brevity of this trip, our build days were scheduled for the first two days that we'd be together in Boise, ID (9/14 & 9/15).

While our rider numbers would eventually grow to 12 in total, our first build day on Friday, 9/14, had a few less people due to scheduling and travel conflicts. Regardless of this, we went to work supporting the organization NeighborWorks and their goal of building a weather-resistant shelter for use by residents of one of their low-income apartment complexes. This would provide a safe place for children waiting for the school bus and other residents to seek shelter from the elements.

At the site, the corner posts had already been set in concrete and the materials were on their way, but nothing else had yet been done. Although we got off to a slow start with leveling the ground for paving stones, we quickly picked up the pace and by the end of the day had completed this lovely shelter:

With the shelter completed, the next day we split into two teams to volunteer at a pair of local Habitat for Humanity ReStore locations. The Habitat ReStore is a great source of home furnishings and construction materials at a low price, though sometimes they get pieces of furniture donated that are not in good shape or so outdated that they never get sold. As our supervisor said, if you wouldn't put it in your own home or the home or your siblings, parents, or grandparents, it may not be worthwhile to keep in the store.

We quickly found that there is a lot of interest in maximizing sales and turnover of donation stock at the Habitat ReStore, where proceeds from sales go to support Affordable Housing causes. Our goal there was to clear out space for new donations to come in and to help de-clutter and reorganize the display isles. The rest of the day went by very quickly as we re-arranged their showroom floor and broke down a number of old cabinets to make room for newly donated items.

With two good days of labor behind us, it is time to look towards the upcoming ride...

On The Road!

The Rent is Too High

I just found one news article that I thought that I'd share with you:
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2013/12/09/Harvard-Confirms-It-Rent-Too-Damn-High

This references a report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University called America's Rental Housing.  It's a fantastic report written by people with a much more eloquent grasp of the English language than I, so please go ahead and check it out!

Synopsis:
"Rental housing has always provided a broad choice of homes for people at all phases of life. The recent economic turmoil underscored the many advantages of renting and raised the barriers to homeownership, sparking a surge in demand that has buoyed rental markets across the country. But significant erosion in renter incomes over the past decade has pushed the number of households paying excessive shares of income for housing to record levels. Assistance efforts have failed to keep pace with this escalating need, undermining the nation’s longstanding goal of ensuring decent and affordable housing for all."



In other news, thank you letters are well on their way to every donor who has given so far!  If you have donated and haven't received one in the mail this week, please let me know as soon as possible and I will contact you to verify your mailing address and will send another. Thank you again to every donor, past and future!

 

On Minimum Wage

I was checking emails and browsing the internet yesterday when an article from CNN caught my eye: Minimum wage to rise in 13 states on Jan. 1.  This reminded me of the reason why I have this blog, which is to promote my Bike & Build trip and spread knowledge about the affordable housing crisis in America.

While the minimum wage is working it's way back up in value, it still does not have the same buying power that it did 40 years ago (as seen below), which challenges the "American Dream" of home ownership.  It's amazing to find out that no one person can afford to have a single-bedroom apartment in this country at the federal minimum wage*.  Additionally in 2011, it was found that 20 million American renters and nearly 22 million homeowners paid more than 30% of total income on housing, while approximately 12 million low to moderate-income households spent over 50% on housing (http://nlihc.org/).

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/

Former Pres. Jimmy Carter has reportedly said that raising the minimum wage was one of his biggest regrets of his administration for the inflation it caused.  I'm not an economist and I'm not sure about the full effects of raising the minimum wage, but we do know that the cost of housing has outstripped the minimum wage and that there is an enormous lack of affordable housing in the US.  So much, in fact, that for every 10 of the poorest households in the US, there are only 3 homes available for rent at an affordable rate.  As it stands, 7.1 million low-income American households cannot find an affordable home to rent and that number is expected to grow every year.

* Based on the localized fair market rent (FMR) and the US definition of "affordable" housing at 30% expenditure of pre-tax income.

Just the beginning...

Hi everyone, welcome to my first-ever blog!  Now that we are on the heels of Thanksgiving, it seemed appropriate for me to take a moment to give thanks for having the opportunity to make a difference by starting a blog about my upcoming adventure.  Over the course of the next year, I will be chronicling an opportunity that will be dominating much of my free thoughts and free time.  I thank you for coming here to take a look and I thank you for joining with me in this great adventure.

It was less than two months ago that I first heard about this particular nonprofit organization called Bike & Build.  Since 2003, this charitable organization has raised money and awareness for affordable housing, totaling over $4 million in contributions and 120,000 hours of service.  This is all made possible through yearly cross-country fundraising cycling trips and the hard work and determination of young adults involved in them.  Over the course of 2-3 months, the trip participants bicycle across the country and spread awareness about affordable housing by talking with locals, giving presentations, and donating time and labor at build sites with local affordable housing groups.

As for my story, once I heard about this organization, I immediately knew that I had to be a part of it!  From not knowing a thing about it, I have since applied and been accepted to be one of the 30 riders covering a route crossing the Southern US (henceforth known as SUS) during the summer of 2014!  I'll be heading out in mid-May from Jacksonville, FL and finishing up in Monterey, CA during the first week of August, completing 4000+ miles of bicycling with only 4 days of rest!

Words cannot quite describe how excited that I am for this trip!  Not only will I get to travel the country by bicycle (a long-term goal of mine), but I'll get to support a very worthy cause along the way!  I'm excited to spend 5 days straight building in New Orleans, where residents are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Katrina, and (if all goes well) to hike my way up Half Dome in Yosemite National Park!  In order to cover all costs and to provide some worthwhile donations to charity organizations and along the route, very participant is responsible for raising at least $4500 in donations, so I ask wholeheartedly for your help.  Please stay tuned on how you can help!  

Thanks!