MFA
Among the topics discussed at the Housing Town Hall, hosted by the nonprofit New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority on Friday, were long commutes and a lack of housing.
The meeting was the last of five town halls to be held around the state this summer.
"Community leaders in Carlsbad say they have 1,000 jobs available, but nowhere to house employees," said Jay Czar, executive director of the MFA. "There is a critical shortage of affordable housing — both rental and for sale — throughout southeastern New Mexico. Five new hotels are being built in Hobbs just to have places to put people."
There is a lack of affordable housing in the Santa Fe, Espanola and Taos areas, said New Mexico State Treasurer James Lewis, a member of the MFA board of directors.
"Santa Fe consistently has a shortage of police officers and firefighters because there is a limited amount of affordable housing for them," Lewis told audience members, which included developers, lenders, housing officials and representatives of nonprofit agencies.
MFA officials said developers and contractors are often unwilling to base projects in rural areas often hardest hit by the affordable housing shortage. To increase rural housing development, the MFA announced it had recently created the Foundation for Building, a joint effort between it and the Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico payday advances.
Despite the talk of shortages, officials said that New Mexico has one of the highest home ownership rates in the country — 72 percent of New Mexicans, they said, own their homes. State lending laws have kept foreclosures low compared to national rates.
In addition, Czar said the housing bill signed by President Bush this week will have a positive impact on the state.
The New Mexico Legislature is "working hard to make housing possible at all levels in this state," said State Rep. Teresa Zanetti, R-Albuquerque, a member of the MFA's Legislative Oversight Committee. "Many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle are interested in making sure there is affordable housing available to everyone."