[Peace-discuss] Gateway Studios and the Housing Crisis in CU - update and next steps

Sat May 16 20:30:52 CDT 2009

Please reread what I wrote, Laurie: provided FREE to all residents, period.... so there would be no such thing as non-payment, ergo no discontinuation of service. Think mail delivery. Think garbage pick up in NYC. Think water in NYC, at least until a few years ago...
 --Jenifer

--- On Sat, 5/16/09, LAURIE SOLOMON <LAURIE at ADVANCENET.NET> wrote:

From: LAURIE SOLOMON <LAURIE at ADVANCENET.NET>
Subject: RE: [Peace-discuss] Gateway Studios and the Housing Crisis in CU - update and next steps
To: "'Jenifer Cartwright'" <jencart13 at yahoo.com>, peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
Date: Saturday, May 16, 2009, 1:10 PM

> Utilities should be gov't owned and operated, or they should be held cooperatively by gov't and citizens, not for profit: All utilities should be              > provided FREE to all residents, period. 

This is not only utopian; but it neglects the fact that Rantoul’s utilities are municipal utilities and that did not stop them from turning off the power for lack of payment by the complex’s owner/manager even if the residents of a multi-unit complex had paid as part of their rent the cost of utilities.  

The moral of the story is that utility cooperatives run by either or both citizens and governmental bodies do not necessarily mean that utilities will not be shut off when the utility bills go unpaid or that circumstances always count for much when making those decisions.  In part this is due to the fact that, in this country, even cooperatives and government owned and operated facilities are run in accordance with capitalist principles which hold that they must at least break even and not run at a loss so as to require subsidies be budgeted or additional taxes be levied.

Of course, there are all kinds of courses of action that governments and communities can take under the guise of health and safety concerns in the form of  liens, placing properties under trusteeship where renters pay the city their rent and utility fees and not the private owner/managers until all outstanding issues are resolved, utility credits or utility stamps, etc. However, I doubt if this will be likely to happen in the US where private property is god and valued more than human lives – except if those lives are of well known and influential persons and their families.

From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net [mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of Jenifer Cartwright
Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2009 11:58 AM
To: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net; sf-core at yahoogroups.com; Ricky Baldwin; kreutz1 at illinois.edu; kennybishop at gmail.com; tylerschen at gmail.com; pengdust at aol.com; Carol Elliott; brettabloom at riseup.net; willistanya at ymail.com; edwardwest26 at hotmail.com; Danielle Chynoweth
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Gateway Studios and the Housing Crisis in CU - update and next steps

I think there should be legislation that would make it ILLEGAL for utility companies to turn off power, water, etc while issues like these are being decided, or while other funding sources are being identified. 

An idea: It's a health issue not to have utilities in place -- so maybe he gov't should cover utilities for anybody who's eligible for medicaid. 

Another idea: The gov't gives food stamps to those below the poverty line. Why not utility credits?

Bottom line (yeah, utopian): Utilities should be gov't owned and operated, or they should be held cooperatively by gov't and citizens, not for profit: All utilities should be provided FREE to all residents, period. 

 --Jenifer 

--- On Sat, 5/16/09, Danielle Chynoweth <chyn at ojctech.com> wrote:

From: Danielle Chynoweth <chyn at ojctech.com>
Subject: [Peace-discuss] Gateway Studios and the Housing Crisis in CU - update and next steps
To: peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net, sf-core at yahoogroups.com, "Ricky Baldwin" <baldwinricky at yahoo.com>, kreutz1 at illinois.edu, kennybishop at gmail.com, tylerschen at gmail.com, pengdust at aol.com, "Carol Elliott" <cacelliott at gmail.com>, brettabloom at riseup.net, willistanya at ymail.com, edwardwest26 at hotmail.com
Date: Saturday, May 16, 2009, 12:15 AM

Thanks to your presence at and engagement with council members at the Champaign Council meeting Tuesday ...

--> the local media has shone an intense spotlight on Gateway Studios and the issue of homelessness in our community.
--> some council members and city staff in both Champaign and Urbana are beginning the discussion of how the cities can play a role to prevent this in the future.
--> discussion has been started with State Representative Naomi Jakobsson about reviving a her state bill to force landlords to pay relocation 
for tenants of a condemned building.

This problem is not limited to Gateway.  Just today it was announced that Autumn Glen apartments in Rantoul is being condemned because the landlord is behind on utility payments that they collected from the residents, but did not pay to the utility company.  Read the story: http://tinyurl.com/p8fnkl.  Between condemnations, foreclosures, and job layoffs, we will continue to see more people forced into homelessness in our community.

You're invited to help take the NEXT STEPS ...

THIS WEEK:

Housing Strategy Session
this Saturday, May 15th at 4 pm (and every Saturday)
as part of the CU Citizens for Peace and Justice meeting
at the Independent Media Center
in the downtown Urbana post office building at Elm and Broadway (see map)
(It's right on the Green Line - 5 minutes from the Quad!)

Urbana City Council Meeting
this Monday, May 18th at 7 pm (public input starts promptly at 7)
at 400 S.. Vine Street at Illinois Street in Urbana (map it)
City Hall is the white building across Vine Street from the Farmers' Market
Anyone can speak for up to 5 minutes on any topic. 
Just sign a form in the back of the room and give it to the clerk.

Champaign City Council Meeting
this Tuesday, May 19th at 7 pm
City Council Chambers at University and Neil in d'town Champaign
Public input is at the end of the meeting and limited to 5 minutes per person.

IN JUNE:

Champaign Neighborhood Services Advisory Board
Thursday, June 4th at 5:30pm in Champaign Council Chamber
Discussion of how to prevent a Gateway situation in the future is being placed on the agenda.

People's Potluck
This regular potluck series is focused on issues of housing, employment, food, and poverty
Sunday, June 7th from 5:30-8:30pm
Independent Media Center (see location above)

Meeting with Rep. Naomi Jakobssen 
Thursday, June 25th at noon
to discuss State Legislation and learn from Naomi's efforts in 2008
(limited space, please contact Danielle if you are interesting in attending: chyn at ojctech.com)

MORE INFORMATION:

Indymedia Story on Gateway and Autumn Glen Condemnations: 
http://www.ucimc.org/content/housing-crisis-rantoul-and-champaign

News Gazette story including our push for relocation Assistance Ordinances in all area cities: 
http://www.news-gazette.com/business/housing/2009/05/14/champaign_reviewing_lessons_from_gateway_studios

WILL Story where Neighborhood Service Director Kevin Jackson says  “I know, going forward, we want to learn from this to see if there is something we could do from a local policy standpoint to prevent something like this from happening again.” 
http://will.illinois.edu/news/spotstory/gateway-studios-residents-approach-chamapign-council-for-more-help/

Draft language for a Relocation Assistance Ordinance for the cities (borrowed from state legislation)
"If the City notifies a landlord that a dwelling unit will be condemned or will be unlawful to occupy due to conditions that violate applicable codes, statutes or ordinances, the landlord shall pay relocation assistance to every displaced tenant, unless the condemnation action or no occupancy order results from a natural disaster or eminent domain. A tenant whose own illegal conduct caused the need to relocate would not be entitled to relocation assistance. 

The landlord shall pay relocation assistance of $2000 per dwelling unit or 3 times the monthly rent, whichever is greater, plus the deposit, interest and prepaid rent by certified check within 7 days after the governmental entity sent the notice to the landlord. If the landlord fails to timely complete these payments, the City will advance the payments to each displaced tenant household, and assess a civil penalty of $50 per day against the landlord for each tenant to whom the City advanced payments until the date the landlord reimburses the City. 

The City may sue to recover the assistance paid, interest, penalties, attorney's fees, and costs.  Any tenant who brings an action against a landlord to recover unpaid obligations provided herein shall also be entitled to recover from the landlord costs and attorney's fees."

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