There is something satisfying about finding a mistake and fixing it. It’s also satisfying when someone takes the time to read something and ask, “What’s the message here?” Yesterday, a potential supporter wondered, “What’s going on with your page, “Non-Profit Housing Projects?”

Unfortunately, the formatting on the page is a mess. The column that calculates the per unit cost for each project and the average for each year doesn’t show up. As for what our message is, it is twofold. First, we need more transparency about costs associated with non-profit housing. The point of creating the page was to get the Consolidated Funding Applications for all these projects in a place where the public can get them. Today, nobody can see those unless there is a formal disclosure request. So we accomplished that. But I also wanted to show the rising costs, twice that of inflation (16 percent) over the period. Non-profit costs per unit have been double the rate of inflation when compared to costs in 2008. Why? That’s what we’re asking and why we support Senator Han’s Zeiger’s bill, SB 5361, that would require cost data be reported.

So here is all the data in a PDF format. Take a look. It matters.

In the end, when we reduce costs of housing production we get more and that means lower prices and less pain for people with less money. We should all be working toward this goal.

And the headline is because I am in a cafe that is playing Led Zepplein. We shouldn’t be guessing about housing.