The Housing Crisis and the Myth of Meritocracy

"Seeking Human Kindness"

I've been thinking about the housing affordability crisis gripping our cities. Young people can't afford homes. Families are being priced out of neighborhoods they've lived in for generations. And the conversation keeps centering on supply and demand, as if economics exists outside of culture and history.

Here's what we're not interrogating: How did we get here?

Remember what I shared about school funding being tied to property values? That same system created generational wealth for some while systematically excluding others. Redlining wasn't just historical policy—it created the present we're living in. When certain communities were denied home loans for decades, they were denied the primary mechanism of wealth building in America.

Now those same communities face displacement as their neighborhoods become "desirable." Gentrification is treated as "natural market forces", but it's actually the predictable outcome of structural inequity meeting cultural amnesia.

The mature global citizen asks: What does it mean to "earn" housing in a society where the playing field was never level? How do we create shelter for all without pretending we're starting from scratch?

I often hear, "Everyone should work hard and buy their own home." That sounds reasonable until you remember that some people's grandparents could buy homes with VA loans while others were explicitly denied those same opportunities. Some people inherited houses. Others inherited debt and displacement.

This isn't about blame. It's about truth. And truth-telling is always the first step toward healing.

What would mature housing policy look like? It would acknowledge historical harm. It would prioritize community stability over maximum profit. It would recognize that home is more than real estate—it's culture, connection, and continuity.

The path forward requires us to do our personal work around what we believe we've "earned" versus what we've inherited.

That's uncomfortable. But as I always say, comfort and transformation can't exist in the same space.

Let's get uncomfortable together.