Changing NIMBY Opinions About Affordable Housing: Q&A with CHOC’s Joy Silver

News| October 31, 2025| Amy Wolff Sorter

One solution to America’s housing crisis is to build more affordable housing units for lower-income populations.

However, even when knowledgeable developers slice through the bureaucratic red tape and obtain the necessary tax credits and funding to build, they must also work with community residents who don’t want “those types of apartments” in their area.

ApartmentBuildings.com recently spoke with Joy Silver, Chief Strategy Officer at Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (CHOC), to discuss strategies for countering NIMBYism in affordable housing development.

Q. Why is affordable housing regarded so negatively?

A. It’s perception. What we call “affordable” and the general public perception are two different things. Affordable housing is typically intended for low- and moderate-income households earning below the average median income. Depending on the location, that amount can range from 30% to 120% of the AMI. The issue here is that these households are earning money, but not enough for stabilized housing.

However, people might not consider this stratum when the topic of “affordable housing” comes up for discussion. They think about the hardened people who live on the streets, who are technically carrying their homes with them. They might also think about addiction, mental illness and veteran PTSD, so all of that gets mixed into the definition of affordable housing.

Q. Then how do you define affordable housing?

A. The lingo recently has been “attainable housing,” which involves creating homes for people who were formerly housed, but aren’t anymore.

Medical payments might have forced them to lose their homes, or intimate partner violence might have driven mothers and their children away to the point where they’re living in their cars. It’s not that this strata doesn’t know how to live in homes or hasn’t lived in them. They’re running because they can’t live in their house anymore for fear of violence, finances or other reasons.

This strata might also be earning income, but they don’t have enough to pay for stabilized shelter because costs are skyrocketing.

Q. So, does education make the community comfortable with the concept?

A. Yes, it can help. As affordable housing developers, we’re constantly faced with those who see the ever-funneling in of people who are unsheltered, due to rising costs, among other reasons. We point out that there are different versions of affordable housing, and what’s being built is attainable housing for those who are unsheltered and need a stable place to live.

Also, we emphasize that the housing we’re offering is not for the hard-core drug users or the chronically unsheltered. Those eligible for attainable housing must meet specific criteria. They must undergo a certification process to ensure they’re earning a sufficient amount, but not too much, and are required to recertify annually. It’s a highly regulated process.

What we also explain is that we have a good formula. We can help bring in unsheltered people who are certified through their income and know they’re fortunate enough to have housing.

An earlier version of this story appeared on ApartmentBuildings.com.