Pillow Talk: The Importance of Where You Lay Your Head

In the discussion panel, "Pillow Talk: The Importance of Where You Lay Your Head", four panelists discussed the importance of home ownership by every citizen in the country - not just those who can afford it. The discussion started with one of the panelists saying that high mortgage affects what a family's children can do. They grow up under the stress of living in a house that's almost unaffordable, especially in homes that aren't being taken care of properly by the landlord. Some homes are in poor conditions. For example, some homes have poor floor structures, causing the floor to break or some homes don't have proper working smoke detectors. The panelists argued that those who are in houses or living comfortably in a home have added benefits than just a home. One panelist said that people who are adequately housed reduces the amount of people that are served in emergency rooms by 25%. Another panelist said that a good home results in proper healthcare, substance abuse care, and provide a chance for those people to give back. In all, housing comes first because it's a basic need. Locally, the panelists argue that most people who work at minimum wage in post-Katrina New Orleans have trouble affording housing. For a person earning the minimum wage, 22 work days in a month, of those 22 days they would have to work 16 of those 22 days to afford the medium amount. Their final argument was that housing is not just about the poor living in public housing, everyone deserves a good place to live. Post-Katrina, everyone was in the same boat so what's changed now?