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Beth McKee-Huger: Vote yes for the housing bonds | Columnists

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2022-06-19
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Beth McKee-Huger
News & Record

‘Sadie” and her neighbors will have to move from the apartments she has enjoyed for more than 15 years because the rent has more than doubled. Now 81 years old, Sadie has only her Social Security to pay rent if she can find another apartment and does not have the physical energy to pack her beloved possessions.

“Lisa,” homeless after suffering from domestic violence, keeps her eyes open all night in the park; she cannot even get to the first step of a shelter because there is no room.

“Jerry” and his wife balance child care and low-wage jobs but, after months of unstable employment, they juggle catching up back rent and other bills. They do not want their kindergartner son to change schools again.

“James” lost his wife last year and lives alone in the dilapidated home they bought 50 years ago. He does not have the money, the physical energy or the emotional strength to make necessary repairs, depressing not only his personal asset but the property values of his neighbors.

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While Greensboro wants growth, housing is in short supply for residents already here, especially those with limited incomes.

Think about these neighbors when you read the legalese on the July 26 ballot: “Shall the order adopted on August 31, 2021, authorizing $30,000,000 HOUSING BONDS of the City of Greensboro, North Carolina, plus interest, for the purpose … of providing funds, together with any other available funds, for acquiring, constructing, improving, rehabilitating and equipping multifamily and single family housing units in said City, principally for the benefit of persons of low and moderate income, including, without limitation, housing or neighborhood revitalization programs and the providing of loans, grants or other financial assistance to such persons and to developers and other public and private providers of housing, and providing that additional taxes may be levied in an amount sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on said bonds, be approved?”

Before your eyes glaze over, think about what a $30 million bond investment would do to open doors and preserve stable homes for neighbors like Sadie, Lisa, Jerry and James.

After all, the housing bonds we voters approved in 2016 have exceeded their goals. They leveraged an investment of $71 million, rather than the goal of $54 million, and built or renovated 1,785 apartments and houses, more than the 1,007-unit goal.

The people they helped faced the same obstacles as Sadie, Lisa, Jerry and James. The multifamily rental housing program is producing 685 apartments that are affordable to households of people like Sadie, on Social Security, and Jerry, who makes low wages. With down payment assistance, 927 homebuyers got the keys to their first homes — a dream that Jerry and his wife will pursue after they’re able to save while biding their time in an affordable apartment.

The supportive housing program is developing 95 places for people who are experiencing homelessness to move from shelters and streets with the health and supportive services they need for stability, opening temporary beds in shelters so people like Lisa can sleep safely at night and find jobs. The investment in neighborhoods repaired 77 houses of homeowners like James so he can age gracefully at home and his neighbors can enjoy a revitalized community after the devastating tornado in 2018.

The city bonds achieved this impressive return on investment because they were combined with private investment and often in partnership with nonprofits. Already, the new Greensboro Housing Fund is attracting philanthropic contributions and interest from financial institutions; the bonds would add the essential public investment.

By voting yes on the housing bond on July 26, we can provide the city of Greensboro with the resources to leverage private investment to build and renovate multifamily rentals, to develop supportive housing, to help homebuyers purchase houses and to reinvest in neighborhoods. Vote!

Beth McKee-Huger is an Episcopal deacon, vegetable farmer, housing advocate and a News & Record community columnist.

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