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Housing Equity Ordinance – Public Hearing & Vote September 8th

The City Commission’s Public Hearing and vote on the Housing Equity Ordinance are finally happening–on Tuesday evening September 8th, the day after Labor Day!  We are very hopeful that the Housing Equity ordinance will pass, if the ISAAC Family turns out as usual to support what’s good and right.

Here is the excellent schedule of conversations that City Staff have set up:

  • August 4 & 6 – meetings with Landlords
  • August 10 – “Townhall” at 7:00 pm on FaceBook Live & YouTube, with Vice Mayor Patrese Griffin, who brought the proposal of a Housing Equity Ordinance to the ISAAC Housing Task Force two years ago and has seen it through ever since, being chosen for an open seat on City Commission then being elected Vice Mayor.  Also answering our questions and listening to our input will be the City’s Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Dorla Bonner, Community Planning & Economic Development Director Rebekah Kik, City Commissioner Jack Urban, and City Manager Jim Ritsema.
  • August 13 – meeting with Housing organizations 
  • August 17 – “First Reading” of the Housing Equity Ordinance, with wording revisions resulting from the community input above, and with Public Comment time as always at City Commission meetings.
  • September 8 – “Second Reading”, “Public Hearing” and City Commission VOTE!  

Can you join us in speaking up for Housing Equity?  If you are a Clergy member, or Housing agency staffmember, or a Renter who has experienced housing discrimination, or a Landlord who is already doing the right thing–accepting people with housing vouchers and county IDs, charging fair application fees, giving people a chance to describe the circumstances of a past eviction or conviction instead of rejecting them automatically, etc., etc.–then we need you to speak at the Townhall, First Reading and/or Public Hearing!  

Please see the wording of the Housing Equity Ordinance here:  https://www.kalamazoocity.org/chapter18

Please also spread the word. You can find the ordinance fact sheet and other images to share on social media here: https://www.kalfound.org/About/TRHTKalamazoo/tabid/535/Default.aspx#la-1836381-housing 

Please let us know at isaakalamazoo@gmail.org if you have any questions, and if we can count on you to speak up for Housing Equity!  And please pass this on to others who’d be strong speakers.

…what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

    and to walk humbly with your God. 

Micah 6:8

– ISAAC & TRHT Housing Task Force co-chairs Tobi Hanna-Davies & Stephanie Hoffman, Executive Director of Open Doors Kalamazoo