No simple solution to overcrowding

As with almost any emotionally charged issue, it would be easy to reflexively embrace or discount a Latino advocacy group's assessment of overcrowding in the suburbs based on your predisposition on the issue.

Overcrowding is a controversial issue in the suburbs. Of that, there is no doubt. The report by Latinos United recognizes that, specifically acknowledging "the tensions that this issue generates among old and new residents."

The report documents a huge increase in the number of overcrowded Hispanic households in the past two decades at the same time that overcrowding has sharply declined for other demographic groups.

In nine Chicago suburbs with large Latino populations, overcrowded housing units increased by 133 percent between the 1990 and 2000 censuses. About three-quarters of those units were occupied by Latinos.

The report's bottom-line recommendation is not apt to be well-received by many in the suburbs: Municipalities should not rely on housing code enforcement to solve the problem.

We have a little trouble swallowing that finding ourselves. Code enforcement, after all, must be part of the solution.

But ultimately, the language in that last sentence is key. It's a part of the solution. It's not the whole solution.

If you read the Latinos United report in depth with an open mind, that's really the message it is sending: Overcrowding is a complex problem with complex causes, and the response to it cannot be a simple solution.

An effective solution, the group said, also would factor in an affordable housing component, improved occupancy codes, educational programs on housing, mediation of neighbor disputes, proactive efforts to involve Latinos in local government, and collaborative outreach to increase civic participation among Latinos.

All of these suggestions make sense as part of a comprehensive approach to solving the overcrowding problems that are particularly acute in many suburbs.

They also make sense as part of an overall effort to build understanding among the diverse cultures that make up our communities.

"Both Latinos and non-Latinos in these municipalities should seek solutions together and use this as an opportunity to build community," the report said. "Both groups agreed that they had a common stake in this issue and wished to collaborate in its solution.

"The challenges municipalities experience due to the changes in demographics and the economic realities of the region require strong leadership to integrate new residents into their new communities and to maintain social harmony while ensuring economic prosperity for all."

Ultimately, we all are part of one community, and it is in all our interests to work together.