**Changing NIMBY Opinions About Affordable Housing: Q&A with CHOC’s Joy Silver**
*One solution to America’s housing crisis is to build more affordable housing units for lower-income populations.*
However, even when experienced developers overcome bureaucratic hurdles and secure the necessary funding and tax credits, they often face pushback from community residents reluctant to accept affordable housing in their neighborhoods—those who say they don’t want “those types of apartments” nearby.
ApartmentBuildings.com recently spoke with **Joy Silver**, Chief Strategy Officer at Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (CHOC), about strategies to help change the narrative and reduce NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) opposition when it comes to affordable housing.
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**Q: Why is affordable housing regarded so negatively?**
**A:** It’s all about perception. What we call “affordable housing” and what the general public envisions are two very different things. Affordable housing typically serves low- and moderate-income households—people earning between 30% and 120% of the Area Median Income (AMI), depending on the region. These individuals are employed, but they don’t make enough to afford stable housing.
Unfortunately, many people conflate “affordable housing” with homelessness or associate it with addiction, mental health issues, and PTSD among veterans. These misconceptions create fear and resistance in communities.
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**Q: How do you define affordable housing, then?**
**A:** Lately, we’ve been using the term “attainable housing” to better reflect what we’re doing—creating homes for people who were previously stably housed but have lost it due to situations beyond their control, like medical expenses or intimate partner violence.
These individuals often still have income, but it’s simply not enough to meet today’s inflated housing costs. They may be living in their cars or couch surfing—not because they don’t know how to live in a home, but because they’ve had no alternative.
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**Q: Can education help the public feel more comfortable with affordable housing projects?**
**A:** Absolutely, education is key. As affordable housing developers, we often encounter community members who oppose projects out of fear or misunderstanding. We work to clarify that the housing being developed is for those who are currently unsheltered but employed—and that it’s not for chronic street homelessness or those with untreated addictions.
These residents must go through a rigorous certification process to qualify. They have to verify their income, and they undergo annual recertification. It’s a highly regulated and monitored system.
We explain that the people we house are aware of the opportunity they’ve been given and are committed to maintaining their housing. This process works, and it’s one of the best tools we have for changing minds and shifting negative perceptions.
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**About Joy Silver:**
Joy Silver is the Chief Strategy Officer at Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (CHOC), a nonprofit organization focused on creating equitable and sustainable housing solutions for underserved populations.
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*This interview originally appeared on ApartmentBuildings.com.*
