AAWA

  AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN'S AGENDA EDUCATION FOUNDATION

I Am Woman, Hear Me...

African American women want a Mayor who views housing as a basic human necessity.  Confronted with a community need for 30,000 units of affordable housing for low income Clevelanders; confronted by the reality that too many are spending more than 50% of family income on housing; confronted with the fact that 7,000-10,000 Cleveland school children are homeless; the Mayor must develop an initiative to increase the number of affordable, code-approved housing units; eliminate predatory lending practices; work with banks to expand, beyond existing guidelines, the Community Reinvestment Act; create partnership landlord/tenant programs to maintain and upgrade properties; and assist all homeless adults and children in securing safe and adequate temporary shelter, and thereafter find and maintain permanent housing.

Priority Issues for Housing: Facts

1. Tens of thousands of Clevelanders cannot find and retain safe, affordable housing.

2. Half of Cleveland households pay more than 30% of their income for housing – a level the federal government considers a disproportionate burden on family stability.

3. A recent study by Cleveland State University estimated the shortage of affordable housing for low-income Clevelanders could exceed 30,000 units.

4. The Case Western Reserve University Center on Urban Poverty and Social Change found that close to 2/3 of those who had stopped receiving welfare benefits were paying more than 50% of their income for housing.  “The rent burden for families leaving welfare in Cuyahoga County is severe and far exceeds the capacity of the current system of public and subsidized housing,” the report concluded.

Priority Issues for Housing: Action  

African American women want a Mayor who will develop an initiative to eliminate predatory lending practices; decrease the shortage of affordable, code-approved housing; create mutual landlord/tenant incentives to maintain and upgrade properties; and establish a structured approach to secure housing for homeless adults and children.

As Mayor I pledge to:

1. Provide assistance in maintaining current housing stock.

2. Encourage financial institution compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act.

3. Implement strategies to hold landlords and tenants fully accountable to all existing laws, statutes, and codes.

4. Expand incentive programs for first-time homeowners.

5. Eliminate predatory lending practices.

6. Create incentive programs for landlords and owners to maintain the health, safety, and security of properties. 

7. Increase the number of affordable, code-compliant housing units.

8. Work with the Housing Court to step up enforcement of existing codes.

9. Implement a structured plan to address homelessness, including, but not limited to, utilization of currently vacant properties, and strategies to serve Cleveland’s 7,000-10,000 homeless, school-aged children.

Last modified: 08/25/05