[PeoplesPotluck] Speak out for Affordable Housing

[Esther Patt]

Did you know that 81% of households in Champaign County with incomes below the poverty level receive no financial assistance with the cost of housing?  Yes, our community receives over $1 million every year for "affordable housing" programs.   

 

We have an opportunity to provide input about how federal dollars that come to local governments SHOULD be used for housing programs.   This is a great opportunity to try to get the focus on the real "affordable housing" need.  
 
I believe that instead of spending money on home ownership programs for households who make over $30,000, the cities and county and RPC should be spending the money on creating housing for households with annual incomes below $18,000 because those are the people who cannot afford any housing in our community.    
 
The City of Urbana will be holding "focus group meetings concerning Housing & Neighborhood Needs to formulate goals and strategies for the upcoming 5-year Consolidated Planning process.  This input will be used to shape the direction of the Community Development Block Grant fund and HOME Investment Partnership Programs led by the City of Urbana Grant's Management Division in conjunction with the City of Champaign and Champaign County Regional Planning Commission."
 
To attend, you must respond to Connie Eldridge at 217-384-2447 or cjeldridge at city.urbana.il.us  (if you email to her, give her your street address as well as name and telephone number).
 
The first meeting will be from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 4 at the City of Urbana Municipal meeting.    I can't go (I wish they'd hold these at night) but if anyone plans to go please let me know (estherpatt at hotmail.com) and I'll send you some information about rents and incomes and why most of the local "affordable" housing isn't affordable to households with incomes below $26,000.
 
Esther Patt
 

 


  		 	   		  
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