May 2, 2019. Charleston Post and Courier.
While several public officials plan to attend an interfaith group’s gathering to address housing affordability and transportation, mayors of the area’s largest municipalities won’t be present.
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey and Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie won’t be attending the seventh annual Nehemiah Action Assembly hosted by nearly 30 member congregations.
April 29, 2019. Topeka Capital-Journal
Religious fervor filled the Rev. Christine Potter’s voice Monday evening as she addressed more than 1,200 people from 23 Topeka-area congregations who packed into Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church.
“Oh people of God — this beautiful, diverse body of God — we are called together to work our justice muscles in unity,” said Potter, associate pastor of Countryside United Methodist Church. “We are called to jump with our voices, with our hands, with our feet and our legs, our entire bodies. Topeka JUMP — jump for justice!”
April 19, 2019. Charleston Post and Courier.
Surrounding the Cherokee Place United Methodist Church on North Charleston’s south end is a community that lacks basic resources.
But the absence of a nearby grocery store gives the congregation an opportunity for ministry.
On the bottom floor of the church, a nonprofit provides hundreds of residents with vegetables, fruits, meat and hot lunches every week.
April 18, 2019. WJCT.ORG
Hillsborough County Commissioners Wednesday took a step toward creating its first dedicated source of money for affordable housing. It comes after other money has been repeatedly diverted from a state housing fund.
The move wouldn’t create a dedicated trust fund, which supporters had pushed for. But the vote does direct Hillsborough County to try to find $10 million in the upcoming budget, and every year after. It would help people who are being priced out of the area’s housing market to cover the cost.
April 17, 2019. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
SARASOTA — The city is considering establishing an additional affordable housing fund requested by a community group championing efforts to address the shortage of workforce housing in the area.
The Sarasota City Commission earlier this week unanimously directed its staff to explore setting up a housing opportunity fund with a dedicated revenue source to help pay for affordable housing projects. The fund would be an addition to an already established trust fund the city dips into for such projects, supported by developer contributions, city administrators said at the board’s Monday meeting. The commission wants staff to research revenue streams that could be used to replenish the potential new fund on an annual basis and see how much the current fund garners to prevent duplication.
