The policies Second Chance Help Center, Inc. propose to address regarding the endangered housing problem rest on two foundations: citizen participation and reciprocal responsibility.

 These policies promote democratic self-government by empowering citizens and strengthening communities.  All Americans, including the poor, want to be treated as dignified and intelligent individuals, not as childlike clients of government bureaucracies

Just as streets can be made safer and schools can be improved when residents and parents become involved, the record indicates that endangered housing can most effectively be rescued when residents are involved in that effort, along with the government and non-profit community based groups.

 Formerly, most government-sponsored low-income housing programs provided rental opportunities that asked little of residents except to complete requisition paperwork.  It is clear from our research that in the future programs must offer more, and require more of beneficiaries. Only by doing so will residents develop a sense of ownership, responsibility, pride and participation that will foster close-knit relationships and build community-organizations which are vital components of the civil society

 The scarcity of affordable housing effects all segments of society; households with two full-time wage earners as well as those on welfare; white people along with African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, and most other minorities; young, middle-age, and retired people; urban, suburban, and rural residents.