The European housing associations that develop and manage affordable housing are truly social-oriented businesses, meeting the housing needs of their people in a responsible and professional manner that fosters quality of life and generates the new capital required for more affordable-housing development. Certainly, not all is perfect. Both the Dutch and British housing associations are dealing with decreasing government assistance, privatization of public housing stock and organizational consolidation. But affordable housing is such an ingrained part of their societies, housing officials are able to work through these problems without interrupting or endangering the affordable housing supply.

 
Housing officials and developers in the United States and California have much to gain from studying the construction, management, customer service and other practices of the Europeans. Ensuring that everyone, regardless of economic and social status, has adequate housing on a long-term basis is a practice that we in this country should adopt.

 
Hunter L. Johnson is CEO of LINC Housing. LINC has developed and/or manages more than 4,700 affordable housing units throughout California, including the Franciscan Mobile Home Park in Daly City.

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