Two out of three Americans are concerned about housing costs, while 67 percent would be more likely to vote for a candidate who works to make housing more affordable, according to the National Housing Opportunity Pulse, a new national survey. The statistics were released at the national Summit on Housing Opportunities, convened by the National Association of Realtors.

"Our survey found that people worry about affordable housing just as much as they worry about affordable health insurance, and only slightly less than jobs and unemployment," said National Association of Realtors President Cathy Whatley. "These findings reaffirm what Realtors have known all along. Armed with these findings, our Summit partners concluded that it's time to put affordable housing on the public agenda."

The survey found that 71 percent would like to see government place a higher priority on making housing more affordable for renters and homeowners alike. Local, state and federal governments received a grade of "C" from their constituents for their work on affordable housing.

By a wide margin, Americans support the construction of more affordable housing, both rental and ownership, in their communities if the housing fits in with the area. Sixty-two percent of Americans are concerned about the impact of the rising cost of housing on teachers, firemen, police and others on whom communities depend, and 81 percent support the construction of affordable homes for these public employees.

Most Americans also worry that their children and grandchildren will not be able to afford to live close to them (51 percent) and that the cost of a home is getting so unaffordable that it is hurting their local economy (56 percent).

The National Housing Opportunity Pulse survey of 1,000 urban and suburban residents in the top 25 media markets was conducted by Public Opinion Strategies in August.

"Affordable housing is a real big problem within the areas surrounding the big metropolitan areas of California," said Dale Klippel of Prudential California Realty. "Even with the job market producing some real substantial incomes in the Bay Area, there just aren't enough of those type jobs to keep pace with the rising prices within the housing industry. If it keeps up, we will see the median price reaching the half-million-dollar mark within two or three years."

"Will our children be able to afford a home anytime soon? I don't think so, at least not for the majority of the young folks. While some will make out OK, the majority will most likely have to move out of state before they can buy. I personally don't see a clear-cut solution to solving the problem right now," Klippel said.

Klippel said he is seeing more parents and other family members providing assistance to children. "Parents should take an aggressive approach in purchasing as much real estate as possible while they are in the prime earning years so that they will make things a little easier for their children once they are out of school. Parental assistance is a real must right now," Klippel said.

According to Realtor Chuck Lane of Coldwell Banker, the median housing price for homes in California just broke the $400,000 mark for the first time last month. He also believes more parents need to assist children with either the down payment, co-purchasing or financing. One of the solutions he sees for the affordability issue is to build smaller units in a more condensed area and possibly going higher so that the land cost is spread over more people.

While Realtors continue to participate in meetings and conferences such as the recent Housing Opportunities Summit to explore ways to address the issue of affordable housing, the California Association of Realtors announced the distribution of its first grant through the Housing Affordability Fund.

The Housing Affordability Fund has raised more than $750,000 toward a 2003 goal of $1 million since the fund's inception, with 25 local Realtor associations through the state contributing $161,000 and the balance coming from more than 500 individual donors. The California Association of Realtors donated an initial $500,000 to get the fund going.

The fund's resources are being distributed through local Realtor associations that have submitted requests for programs that directly address housing affordability and housing supply issues within their communities. The first grant of $26,000 went to the Monterey County Housing Alliance Housing Opportunity Center for a counseling and education program that will expand mortgage credit opportunities and increase homeownership in the Monterey County area.

"We're pleased that Realtors and local associations throughout California have so generously donated to the Housing Affordability fund," said Toby Bradley, the association's president.

"The ability to find, qualify for and purchase a home in 21st-century California is a challenge for many residents," she said. "The California Association of Realtors Housing Affordability Fund is committed to raising $20 million over a five-year period to help make the American Dream of homeownership a reality for more families in California."