Not-So-Affordable Housing

Our America with Julián Castro

Lemonada Media

Society & Culture

4.6 • 884 Ratings

🗓️ 8 October 2020

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode brings us to a mobile home park in Waukee, Iowa, where we meet 93-year-old Arletta Swain and her neighbor Matt Chapman. These manufactured housing communities were one of the last remaining affordable housing options in the US - at least they were, until private equity firms came into the picture. Today, we talk to the two neighbors about what grassroots activism looks like when you’re up against a 70% rent hike and, in Arletta’s words, “money-crazy” folks. Learn more about the affordable housing group, MHAction, and follow them on Facebook Follow Matt Chapman’s activism on Twitter See Arletta with her impressive trees! Keep up with Julián on twitter @JulianCastro and Instagram @JulianCastroTX Support the show by checking out our sponsors You can digitally purchase life insurance from Haven Life Insurance Agency at havenlife.com/ouramerica. Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC17DTC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC. Policy and rider form numbers and features may vary by state and not be available in all states. Our Agency license number in California is 0K71922 and in Arkansas, 100139527. The Marguerite Casey Foundation, creating greater freedom for changemakers to create a truly representative economy. Learn more at caseygrants.org, and connect with the Foundation on Twitter and Facebook. To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to https://www.lemonadamedia.com/show/our-america shortly after the air date. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's me Ricky Lake. You probably know me for my hit 90s talk show, but if I'm being totally
0:05.8	honest, I was juggling so much and didn't have time to stop and think about what truly went
0:10.5	into living a full and vibrant life.
0:13.1	We'll fast forward to today, I'm 55 and a half years old
0:16.7	and I am happier than ever.
0:18.4	And I'm so excited to help you find your joy
0:21.4	on my new show, The High Life with Ricky Lake.
0:24.0	Together we'll learn new ways to live better.
0:27.0	Listen to The High Life with Ricky Lake from Lemonotta Media.
0:30.0	Out now, wherever you get your podcasts.
0:36.0	Lemonnotta. It's been nice here. It really was and it has been until just well the last few years but nobody has time to stop and do the things they use too because they have to work to pay these bills
0:56.1	while they're giving us just constantly adding something to them and I don't know how some of them they get away with, but I don't like crooks.
1:07.8	And what we're going through here now is just something else. That's Arleta swing, talking to me from a mobile home in Wokey, Iowa. Have you
1:18.9	ever met someone who just instantly struck you? Arleta is one of those people for me.
1:24.0	I met her last year and ever since I think about her often.
1:29.0	In fact, she was one of the first people I reached out to for this show.
1:34.0	Arlada lives in one of 300 mobile homes located in a park called Midwest Country Estates.
1:40.0	And we should really call these structures manufactured homes,
1:43.6	because the term mobile home is pretty misleading.
1:47.3	In most cases, these houses aren't mobile at all,
1:50.7	or the cost of movement would be prohibitively expensive for the people that live there.
1:55.0	Instead, their defining feature is their affordability.
	...

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