April 12, 2011. Herald-Leader.
At the BUILD Nehemiah Action Assembly on Monday night, Mayor Jim Gray said he would support committing $100,000 to a study of affordable housing.
Gray said the purpose would be to create more affordable housing by seeing “how we can reclaim and restore neighborhoods where we have abandoned homes.”
It wasn’t what BUILD had hoped for from the meeting, which serves as a forum for asking public officials to commit to specific recommendations related to social justice issues.
The organization has pushed for an affordable housing trust fund that would receive $3 million to $5 million a year, saying the fund is needed because more than 45 percent of Fayette County’s renter households spend more than 30 percent of their income for rent.
RonataBabicz-Baratto told the crowd of about 1,500 that she and her family moved to Georgetown because they couldn’t find a suitable home for less than $120,000.
“So many of these homes needed so much work. They were only affordable because they were falling apart,” she said, adding that the homes in her price range that were in better shape were in unsafe neighborhoods.
“We appreciate the gesture of goodwill to create the $100,000 seed fund,” the Rev. Adam Jones of Open Door Church told the crowd after Gray made his proposal. “That is not an affordable housing trust fund.”
The BUILD assembly, comprised of representatives of 17 local churches, wanted the mayor and four council members who attended to commit to recommend to the Urban County Council by Oct. 1 that the council set up an affordable housing trust fund. And they wanted them to commit to voting “yes” to dedicating $3 million to $5 million a year to that fund.
The mayor balked, saying, “I cannot do it this year.”
He cited “very tough, fragile economic times.”
BUILD also held the mayor’s feet to the fire on the topic of jobs for ex-convicts, and the agenda included updates on BUILD’s work to increase primary health care services for uninsured adults, lower suspension rates at five Lexington middle schools, cap interest rates charged by payday lenders, and address the problem of drug and alcohol problems among youth in the Family Court system.
The structured format of the assembly gave elected officials little opportunity for wiggle room or explanation of their positions — BUILD leaders asked for a simple “yes” or “no” answer to whether the officials would commit to each of their requests.
The Rev. John List, pastor of St. Peter Catholic Church, told the crowd that the officials had been given in advance the questions that would be asked. Those who refused to make a commitment were not given time to offer a lengthy explanation of their positions.
“This is not the time to debate our public officials,” List said. “We know what the real problems are. … The solutions we propose are reasonable and righteous.”
Helping the city’s 20,000 ex-offenders find jobs more easily was one of the chief topics the group addressed.
People “who have done their time should not be given a life sentence of poverty,” said Kabby Akers of Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church.
She said ex-offenders are 500 times more likely to commit another offense if they don’t find a job within 90 days of release.
BUILD wanted Gray to agree to have the city’s human resources department stop requiring criminal background checks unless they are required by law or the position is “of such sensitivity that a background check is necessary,” but he declined.
The group also wanted him to convene at least 25 local employers within six months to ask them to stop requiring background checks unless required by law or otherwise necessary.
The mayor did say he would get the city’s human resources department to develop a list of jobs for which the law requires a criminal background check or for which a check is necessary. And he said he would convene a group of local employers to work on the issue.
“You all are doing commendable work,” he said. “I respect your passion and persistence. I will work on this issue.”
