People’s Affordable Housing Vision Round Up

In terms of getting press for something you care about, I can’t think of a worse thing to happen to a press conference, than for the County Executive to announce her surprise resignation an hour before your press conference. Oh well, we did still get some coverage, and I can fill in some of the blanks.

THE GOOD NEWS
Two of the items in our vision will be included in the Mayor’s budget. Perhaps because of all the great support we have! (See list below.) Please add your name!

Want to add your name? Join the Facebook page, sign the petition or email us at peopleshousingvision@gmail.com.

VIDEO
This is some nice coverage from Wisconsin Radio Network, with the full statements of Greta Hansen from Community Action Coalition and Nate Abrams from Operation Welcome Home. Yeah, video from the radio network, who knew?

WRITTEN COVERAGE
State Journal – Group calls for more support of area homeless Well, that was part of it. But we called for more, see below.

WRITTEN COMMENTS BY LINDA KETCHAM
They’re good, and they’re coming, I’ll update this as soon as I get them. Ok, I posted them here.

PEOPLE’S AFFORDABLE HOUSING VISION
A vision for the Madison area to expand low income housing opportunities, ensure dignity and a path to stable housing for the homeless, provide greater accountability for violations of local housing laws and increase local government resources to support housing programs.

(1) Pursue Innovative Permanent and Transitional Low-Income Housing Options: Pursue development and prevent further demolition of single room occupancy housing (SROs); expand affordable housing options through housing cooperatives, co-housing and community land trusts and ensure the new zoning code encourages this type of housing; explore a tenant interim lease program (a program from NYC) in which tenants move into buildings purchased by the city with the opportunity for tenant management and eventual ownership as a low income housing cooperative.

(2) Expand the Warming House: The city and county should work together to study how warming house services could be expanded so families are not turned away from shelter. More immediately, the city should appropriate $10,000 for the Salvation Army to use to secure alternate shelter for families using the Warming House who have sick children, as a public health measure.

(3) Improve Homeless Services: Develop and enforce shelter standards needed to ensure the humane treatment, safety, security, health and sanitation of shelter residents and to recognize the dignity inherent in each shelter resident. Shelter services should be trauma-informed and recovery-oriented. A shelter monitoring committee should oversee these standards and a third-party grievance process should be available to those seeking or receiving services from shelter. Additional funding is needed for shelter residents who are sick and/or just released from the hospital to secure alternative shelter. Study the need for family, men’s and women’s shelter space.

(4) Expand Quality Case Management Services for Homeless and Formerly Homeless Individuals and Families: More resources must be devoted to expand case management services by hiring case managers who are well-trained, culturally competent, possess solid case advocacy skills, have vast knowledge of available resources (including public benefits), and experience working with low-income people and people of color. Case management should be expanded in existing programs and added to programs which do not currently offer case management, including the men’s shelter. Case managers should carry a reasonable case load (Child Welfare League of America standard is no more than 17 families at a point in time).

(5) City Grant Writer: Hire a city grant writer to seek federal and foundation funding for not only homelessness and housing issues, but staff support and training for funded agencies. Prioritize sensitivity training for people providing direct services as well as administrative training and support.

(6) Property Tax Fairness – LLCs: Investigate taxes lost through sales of LLCs which result in the true value of the property not being accurately reflected.

(7) Greater Enforcement of MGO Chapter 32 Landlord and Tenant: The City Attorney’s office should hire a full time person to field tenant complaints of lease violations. Violations would be limited to those violations that do not need outside investigation, but can be determined by documents provided by the complainant. The City Attorney’s office should be given the authority to either ticket or file long form complaints based on the violations and investigate patterns of abuses if immediate resolution is not reached through discussions with the landlords. Based on the number of complaints, the city should study the feasibility of a housing court. A meaningful landlord registration ordinance should be passed, which would require landlords to provide the city with ownership and contact information and allow the city to collect information about rents, apartment features and other data.

(8) Expand Language Access and Bilingual Information and Services to LEP Populations: Hire more bilingual staff (Spanish and Hmong) in city departments including Housing Operations, Building Inspection, Municipal Court, etc. An ordinance should be passed which requires the use of leases, termination notices, non-renewal notices and court documents in Spanish and Hmong when that language is the primary language of the tenant.

(9) Housing Operations Ombudsman: An ombudsman position should be added to CDA of the City of Madison Housing Operations Unit and the Dane County Housing Authority to help resolve disputes between the housing authorities and those who participate in their subsidized housing programs.

(10) Security Deposit Loan Program: The Security Deposit Loan Program, a program developed in Iowa City, would be a jointly established program between a local housing organization and a local Bank to provide no-interest loans for rental security deposits. The loan program is based on a revolving fund of money, allowing additional loans to be made as payments are received. The program would contribute to a households’ self-sufficiency through the establishment of a credit file or to repair bad credit. Grants would be sought to cover loans not paid back.

(11) Protect Tenants from Irrelevant, Unreliable and Dated Credit History: Housing providers should be prohibited from denying an application for residential tenancy based solely on: (a) the filing of an eviction action which resulted in a dismissal; (b) credit history which is unrelated to a housing obligation; or (c) credit history related to a housing obligation which is more than two (2) years old.

(12) Protect the Use of Service Animals: We support specifically expanding local equal opportunity ordinances to prohibit discrimination in housing and public accommodations against persons who have animals which a qualified professional has recommended as providing a beneficial service or support.

SUPPORTERS
Organizations

Affordable Housing Action Alliance
Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin
Madison Area Community Land Trust
Madison LuCha
Fair Housing Center for Greater Madison
Progressive Dane
Tenant Resource Center
Communities United
East Isthmus Neighborhood Planning Council (EINPC)
United Legal Workers (staff at Legal Action of WI, local unit of UAW 2320)
Madison Community Co-op (MCC)
Operation Welcome Home
Take Back the Land-Madison
South Central Federation of Labor
Lothlorien Co-op
WI Council of Churches
Young Progressives

Individual Supporters of the People’s Affordable Housing Vision
A.S. Zaucha
Aaron Crandall
Ada E Deer
Adam Breihan
Adrianne Gerkhardt
Alan Tierney
Alex Gillis
Alfred Matano
Ali Brooks
Alice Howard
Alice Schneiderman
Alicia Lux
Alnisa Allgood
Amanda Stein
Amy Klusmeier
Amy Mondloch
Amy Standbin
Ana Machado
Andrea Potter
Andrew Glickman
Andrew Sernatinger
Andrew Wegleitner
Andy Heidt
Andy Lindgren
Angela Jones
Angela Marchant
Angie Chabran
Ann Dwyer
Annie Beaman
Annie Oakley
Anthony Gilman
Anthony Larson
Arlene Silveira
Azure Hart
Barbara Eisenberg
Barbara Harrington McKinney
Barbara Smith
Barbara Wright
Barry Gore
Ben Manski
Ben Sabin
Ben Sommers
Bernard Nelson
Bernice Hutchins
Bert G Zipperer
Beth Esser
Beth O’Callaghan
Beth Racette
Betsey Lawrence
Betsy Meter Brooks
Betty Granda
Bill Farina
Bill Kessler
Billie O Kelsey
Billy Ward
Bob Klebba
Bowen Best
Brad Clark
Brad Joyce Venable-Jackson
Brad McPhail
Brenda Konkel
Brian A Stewart
Brian Benford
Brian Christensen
Brian R.
Brian Solomon
Bruce Mayer
Bryan Bliss
C.E. Lindblom
Calvin Kramer
Carl Hampton
Carla Dawkins
Carol Carstenson
Carol Lobes
Carol Weidel
Carole Kolb
Carousel Bayrd
Carrie Kleven
CarrieAnn Schuettpelz
cassidy kirkpatrick
Catherine A. Wilcox Nash
Cesilee Dean
Charles Hughes
Charles P. Frye
Charles Smith
Chloe Hausmann
Chris Long
Christine Hrenak
Christine J. Thompson
Christopher Laurent
Chuck Smalley
Cindy Crane
Cj Geirman
Clark Williams
Cody Williamson
Colm McCarthy
Connie Deer
Connie Palmer Smalley
Cristalina Erickson Norcross
Crystal Hyslop
Curt Sommer
Cyndi Larson
Dace Zeps
Daithi Wolfe
Dan Bohrod
Dan Goldstein
Dan Melton
Dan Neuman
Dan O’Callaghan
Dan Plourde
Dan Rodman
Dan Veroff
Dana Moran
Daniel Council
Daniel Cox
Daniel Roberts
Daun Johnstone
Dave Hagese
Dave Schwen
David Doonan
David Driscoll
David Fields
David Golden
David Keith Cobb
David Marshall
David Michael
David Osmalov
David Pankin
David Robertson
David Wandel
David Williams
Dawn Calhoun Aaberg
Dawn Sabin
Dean Loumos
Deb Hall
Deb Weingartner
Debi Brady
Debi Wickwire
Deborah Percival
Debra Farrar-Simpson
Della Jo Hargen
Deloris Eul
Denise Janssen Eager
Derek Peterson
Derrick Washington
Derwin Leigh
Dina Corigliano
Don Ferber
Donald Martiniak
Donn Lind
Donna Vukelich
Dorothy Krause
Doug Bradley
Doug Cvetkovich
Dwight Fenderson
ELizabeth Bruno
Elizabeth Gokey
Ellen La Luzerne
Ellen M Soto
Ellen Nibbelink
Ellen Witte Miller
Emily Long
Emily Mills
Encwood
Eric Hoyt
Eric Shevrin
Erich Pitcher
Erik Paulson
Erika Schewe
Erika Schneider
Eva Denny
F. Rashid
Floyd Hummel
Forrest Shelton Clark
Frank Emspak
Frank Power
Frantz Cordio
Fred Shepartz
Gaddi Ben Dan
Garrett Crowell
Gary John Feest
Genie Ogden
George Arida
George McPhail
Gerogia Black
Gillian Pomplun
Gladis Benavides
Greg Neil
Greg Rosenberg
Gretchen Lowe
Guy Semelka
Hal Menendez
Hansel Copeland
Harper Donahue
Harris Lemberg
Harry Richardson
Heather Brannan
Heidi Blankenship Speight
Heidi Konkel
Heidi Wegleitner
Helen Vukelich
Hiam Howard Gauer
Hildy McGown
Jackie Captain
Jacob Vennie-Vollrath
Jacque Pokorney
Jake Shut
Jamaal Stricklin
James Reinke
James Westring
Jan Levine Thal
Jan Sternbach
Jane Collins
Jane Jensen Silvers
Jane Spietz
Janet Kjelland
Janet Parker
Jason Glozier
Jay Gold
Jay Parks
Jean Alt
Jean Funcke
Jean Rawson
Jeanie Kramer
jeanne erickson
Jeff Goldstein
Jeff Simpson
Jeff Streier
Jeffrey Schiffman
Jen Leonard
Jen Rubin
Jenifer Farley
Jennifer Farnham Gerhardt
Jennifer Keeley
Jenny Hanson
Jeoffrey Granby
Jeremiah Robinson
Jerome Dillard
Jerry McDonough
Jesse Miller
Jessi Indresano
Jim Cobb
Jim Glozier
Jim Paczwa
Jimmy DeGidio
Jo Kelley
Joan Haven
Joe Chern
Joe Mingle
Joe Sokolinsky
Joel D. Gilbertson-White
Joel Winnig
John Hendrick
John Koch
John McNamara
John Steinbach
John Steines
Jon Hawkins
Jon Maynard
Jon Pfeiffer
Jordan Oezer
Juan Esteban Ruiz
Judith Utevsky
Judith Wilcox
Judy Karofsky
Judy Miner
Julie Carnahan
Julie Meister
Juliet Johnson
Juscha Robinson
Justin Gerstner
Justin True
Kabzuag Vaj
Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap
Karen Aune
Karen Bechlem
Karen Reece
Kari Dixon
Kari Ehrhardt
Kate Anderson
Katherine Alft
Kathie Free
Kathy Sommers
Kathy St. O
Kathy Utley
Kathy Walsh
Kathy Wolf
Kay Houston
Kay Springstroh
Kay Sweeney
Ken Haydock
Kenyatta J. Yamel
Kerry Schumann
Kevin Gundlach
Kevin Hoag
Kevin Kopplin
Kevin Magee
Kia Stearn
Kim Fisher
Kim Odenweller
Kimberly Coonts
Kitty Rankin
Kriostopher Schiltz
Kristen Petroshius
Kristen Zehner
Kristin Bloy
Kristina Kosnick
Kristopher Imbrigotta
Larry Dooley
Larry Orr
Larry Warman
Lauar Gutknecht
Laura Anderson
Laurel Karlin
Laurie Fike
Leslie McAllister
Leslie Paynter
Libby Tucci
Linda Ketcham
Linda Keys
Linda Poehlman
Linda Rewey
Lindsay McClernan
Liz Fabiola Reategui
Lucy Gibson
Luis Panesi
Lukas Diaz
Lydia Maurer
Lydia Stephens
Lynsey Holum
M Stine
Maria Cavicchio
Marie Van Someren
Marilyn Feil
Marj Nelson
Mark Karn
Mark Kuechle
Mark Margolis
Mark McFadden
Marsha Rummel
Martin Alvarado
Marty Kehrein
Mary Anglim
Mary Ardissone
Mary Barrett
Mary Beth Schlagheck
Mary Hardie
Mary Hollinger
Mary Jo Oathout
Mary Jo Olsen
Mary Ray Worley
Mary Sanderson
Mary Yeater Rathbun
Matt Moehr
Matt Rothschild
Matt Schewe
Meghan Roed
Megin McDonnell
Melanie Foxcroft
Melissa Baumann
Melissa Sargent
Merle Margolis
Micah Bergwert
Michael Basford
Michael Bink
Michael Carlson
Michael Childers
Michael D. Shoultz
Michael Daugherty
Michael Johnson
Michael Stiklestad
Michele L Warnke
Miguel Cardenas
Mike Imbrogno
Mike McDaniel
Mike Roach
Monte Letourneau
Myrna C. Ulrich
Myrna Sokolinsky
Nadine Wright
Nancy Harrison-Noonan
Nancy Kaiser
Nancy Klatt
Nancy Price
Nancy Rost
Nat Dixon
Nate Godfrey
Nick Fairweather
Nick Murphy
Nickolas Malacara
Noah Callagan
Oscar Mireles
P.T. Bjerke
Pable Hausmann
Pamela Cross-Leone
Pamela Hathaway
Pamela McLaughlin
Pastor Larry
Patti Seger
Paul Anderson
Pedro R. Albiter
Peggy Goodale
Peter Dvorak
Peter Fiala
Peter Munoz
peter wolff
Phil Ejercito
Rachel Krueger
Rachel Rivard
Ralph Hoessel
Ralph Shively
Rebecca Yoh
Rebekah Gomez
Regina Smith
Rich Zietko
Richard Ariles
Richard S Russell
Rick Richards
Rita Meuer
Rob Corbit
Robb Bruegger
Robert J. Andersen
Rocio Peralta
Roger Rutschow
Roger T Williams
Ron Blascoe
Rory Linnane
Rudy Moore
Russell Attoe
Ruth Rohlich
Ryan Spangler
Sal Serio
Sam Stevenson
Sam Wegleitner
Samantha Foreman
Samir Jaber
Sandra Heiges Janagold
Sandra McGettigan
Sandra Montello
Sandy Haas
Sandy Wright
Sarah Kriehn
Sarah Manski
Sarah P Goldstein
Sarah Shatz
Schuyler Wilcox
Sedrina Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza-Curry
Selena Pettigrew
Selene McHugh
Seth Yosef
Shahla M. Werner
Shannon Hayes
Shannon Karenagh
Sharon Kilfoy
Shawn Steen
Sheila Guilfoyle
Shelle Michalak
Shelley Fite
Simon Balto
Stacia Conneely
Stephanie Daugherty
Stephanie Rearick
Steve Arnold
Steve Books
Steve Burns
Steve Masar
Steve Starkey
Steven P Jones
Sue Gadacz
Sue Goldwoman
Sue Lainy
Sue Rogan
Sunshine Jones
Susan Gustaf
Susan Michetti
Susan N Manson
Susan Pearsall
Suzanne Gaulocher
Suzanne-Album-Forsberg
Tammy Peters
Tamra Oma
Tara Ayres
Ted Voth Jr
Tena Bolstad
Teri Clark
Terry Galloway
Theresa Putnam-Konkel
Therese Ripp Schroeder
Thomas E. Kuenzli
Thomas J Mertz
Thomas Kozlovsky
Thomas Simmons
Thuy Nguyen
Tim Birkley
Tim Bjerke
Tim Dean
Tim Gallun
Timothy Moermond
Tina Dvorak
Tom Armbrecht
Tom Culver
Tom Kneifl
Tom Kotenberg
Tracy Stewart
Trina Clemente
Troy Thiel
Vani Barry
Vicki Schrank
Vicky Selkowe
Victor Schmidt
Virginia Rose
Virginia Zwickey
Wajid Jenkins
wayne blake
Wayne Sigelko
Wayne Strong
Wendy A. Cooper
Wendy Siewert
Will Radloff
William Foote
William P Rowe
Willy Becker
Wilma Gurl
Winston Sephus Jr.
Xavier Castro
Yvonne Geerts
Z! Haukeness

Want to add your name? Join the Facebook page, sign the petition or email us at peopleshousingvision@gmail.com.