Workforce housing is foundation of growth

THERE ARE TOPICS THAT GRAB people’s attention. People show up for meetings about artificial intelligence and data centers. They get passionate about issues that splinter communities along political lines, like immigration enforcement or police overreach. Propose building a landfill or closing a school, and it’s going to grab attention. But so many of the issues that really affect people’s daily lives go under the radar because there isn’t a petition to sign or a protest to plan or a meeting to attend. One of those is housing. Homelessness is an unfortunate reality. It can skew attention toward the housing that is life or death. Shelters must be available for people in need, especially in a state where winter can be cold, wet and unpredictable. Low-income housing also is necessary and an arena where government can make a difference. On the opposite end of the spectrum sits housing for those with bigger paychecks. This rarely will be a problem. If such housing doesn’t exist, people with the money to do so can just build their own. Developments for high-ticket homes eat up farmland and golf courses. They even gentrify industrial areas. But that leaves a gap. What about the people in the middle? It was an issue raised last week at the Greensburg Development Conference, but it isn’t only a Greensburg or Westmoreland County issue. It’s something that affects communities everywhere. “Congress has demonstrated interest in federal programs that would support workforce or middle- income housing,” a March report stated.