How Housing Can Boost Economic Mobility in America

Hi Everyone and Welcome Back!

This week on The Nick Halaris Show we are featuring Cristian Ahumada, the Exective Director of Holos Communities, one of the leading non-profit affordable housing developers in Southern California. Cristian, my friend of many years, is one of the most passionate, impact-focused leaders I’ve ever come across and has a decades long track record making a positive difference in the world. He’s developed over 2000 units of affordable housing, is completely dedicated to ending homelessness, and is a highly respected civic leader.

Ready to dive in? Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube or on your favorite podcast platform.

Cristian is someone who has been working at the forefront of the housing affordability crisis for decades and has an incredible depth and breadth of knowledge of the problems and opportunities there. I wanted to have him on the show to get his insider’s take on why we’ve gotten ourselves in such a mess when it comes to homelessness and housing affordability and what we might do to right the ship. As a for-profit multifamily developer who has barely survived the buzzsaw that is Los Angeles, I can attest firsthand just how impressive it is that he’s been able to have such a big impact on the world as a non-profit developer. Tune in to this inspiring episode to learn:

• Cristian’s compelling holistic vision for addressing homelessness, housing affordability, climate change, and racial inequity  

• How the current system inadvertently creates a welfare state rather than providing economic mobility for individuals experiencing homelessness

• Why public transit investment and big zoning changes are the core of the solution to the housing crisis

• How economic segregation has come to replace racial segregation and what that means for the American Dream

• What we can learn from Vienna on how to create a country where housing is affordable for everyone

  &

• Much, much more

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Stay tuned to the end to learn how Cristian’s experiences growing up in Chile with a mom who believed in a life of service and a grandmaster father, who taught him resiliency through chess, fuel his passion for trying to make the world a better place and taught him the skills necessary to thrive as a non-profit leader in the very competitive world of real estate development.  

As always, I hope you all enjoy this episode. Thanks for tuning in!  

Love this episode? Please rate, subscribe, and review on your favorite podcast platform to help more users find our show. 🙏 Thank you

Summary

Cristian Ahumada, the executive director of Holos Communities, discusses the organization's focus on holistic housing solutions. They reflect on the need for intersectionality between housing, sustainability, and equity. The conversation explores the challenges of creating economic mobility within the current housing system and the impact of parking requirements on affordable housing projects. They also discuss the importance of density and public transit in addressing the housing crisis and climate migration. Christian shares his personal journey and passion for finding innovative solutions to housing issues. In this conversation, Nick Halaris discusses the holistic approach to housing and homelessness, drawing from his experience as a developer. He emphasizes the importance of creating sustainable and equitable communities that address the needs of individuals and families. Halaris shares his vision of mixed-income housing models and the potential for cross-subsidization of rents. He also highlights the need for resourcefulness and creativity in finding solutions to the housing crisis. The conversation touches on the role of public dollars, the impact of high construction costs, and the importance of community engagement. Halaris concludes by discussing the challenges of voter exhaustion and the need for increased housing production.

Keywords

housing, sustainability, equity, economic mobility, affordable housing, density, public transit, climate migration, housing, homelessness, holistic approach, sustainable communities, equitable communities, mixed-income housing, cross-subsidization, resourcefulness, housing crisis, public dollars, construction costs, community engagement, voter exhaustion, housing production

Takeaways

• Holos Communities focuses on holistic housing solutions that address the intersectionality of housing, sustainability, and equity.

• The current housing system often creates a welfare state rather than providing economic mobility for individuals experiencing homelessness.

• Creating density and connecting housing to public transit are crucial in addressing the housing crisis and climate migration.

• The need for affordable housing and the challenges of parking requirements in development projects.

• Personal passion and resourcefulness are key in finding innovative solutions to housing issues. A holistic approach to housing and homelessness is essential, addressing the needs of individuals and families in a sustainable and equitable manner.

• Mixed-income housing models can be effective in creating communities that are inclusive and provide affordable options.

• Cross-subsidization of rents can help support affordable housing while also generating revenue from higher-income tenants.

• Resourcefulness and creativity are crucial in finding solutions to the housing crisis, considering factors such as construction costs and community engagement.

• Increased housing production is necessary to address the growing demand and prevent homelessness.

Titles

• Holos Communities: Holistic Housing Solutions

• Addressing Economic Mobility in the Housing System The Potential of Mixed-Income Housing Models

• Creating Sustainable and Equitable Communities

Sound Bites

• "Holos Communities: Holistic Housing Solutions"

• "We've ended up with this model that inadvertently has created a welfare state."

• "We need to figure out how to go up and create density."

• "We've been able to derive strength from that model."

• "We created the gray water system that's in a public right away."

• "I always thought that I was gonna be an architect."

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Holos Communities

• 04:13 Challenges of the Current Housing System

• 10:29 Importance of Density and Public Transit

• 35:33 Migration and Climate Migration

• 36:00 Personal Passion and Resourcefulness

• 38:51 Creating Sustainable and Equitable Communities

• 46:21 The Vision: Solving the Crisis of Homelessness

• 50:43 The Potential of Mixed-Income Housing Models

• 55:56 Cross-Subsidization: Supporting Affordable Housing

• 01:03:09 Resourcefulness and Creativity in Solving the Housing Crisis

• 01:08:17 Challenges of Voter Exhaustion and the Need for Housing Production