What's It Worth To You?

The housing question is really another version of the “buy local” question, if you think about it.

Have you ever really asked yourself why buying local is a good thing? Why should you spend more money to buy the same product from a local business, instead of a big box? Why, perhaps more galling, should you submit yourself to the more limited range of options a local business would offer—so that maybe you’re not even getting exactly what you want?

Do local business owners have a right to your business? If not, are you buying local out of your own generosity—are local business owners really disguised charity cases?

While she was bringing me up, my mother had a different perspective. She used to say (and thankfully still says), “You pay for the kind of community you want to live in.”

You want a community that has a bookstore—so, you go to the local bookstore instead of Amazon. You want a community that has mom-and-pop restaurants, so you go there instead of Texas Roadhouse. Insert whatever kind of business you want: The solution is, if you want it in your community, you go there instead of somewhere else. And you’re willing to pay for it, because you’re paying for its presence in your community, which is worth something to you.

Here in Steubenville, housing solutions are key to the growth of our city. Everybody who lives here knows that homelessness—whether fairly or unfairly—negatively impacts the redevelopment of our downtown.

This should cause Steubenville folks to ask the question: What kind of community do I want to live in? and How much is that worth to me?

Real housing solutions aren’t easy. They require time and talent, as well as treasure. Homeless people aren’t machines. They’re individuals. Their problems—while they can be categorized and general solutions might be applicable to many—still require personal, individual attention.

Throwing money at the issue isn’t enough. It requires personal time and talent. That’s what Homeward Bound is trying to provide. It’s trying to become a place where members of our community could do the real work required to bring about a better city.

Some of them will do this out of a desire to be generous and to “give back,” and this is good. But others need to be convinced that it’s in everyone’s shared interest. It’s in everyone’s shared interest to live in a community where homelessness is not a chronic problem. While some will benefit more than others from a real solution, a real solution will benefit everyone.

An investment in a real housing solution in Steubenville or any city is just that—an investment. It’s not just charity to those less fortunate. It’s an economic decision about the kind of community we want to live in.

Bottom line: If you’re a “buy local” person, you’re probably also a “house local” person, even if you didn’t know it. You already try to pay for the kind of community you want to live in. The question is, Is this a community issue you’re also willing to invest in?

The answer should be obvious.