Between 150 and 200 people participated on Tuesday Dec. 19th in the "Home for the Holidays" rally for the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund! We exceeded our goal for turnout - had a great article in the Courier-Journal - and Rep. Jim Wayne pledged publicly, "I will make the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund my number one priority in Frankfort in 2007!"

Open the Door Campaign advocates that:
"The Mayor and the Metro Council must make the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund a top priority in January 2007 by creating a Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund and funding it at the necessary level of $10 million annually in ongoing dedicated public revenue. The immediate passing of the Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund is necessary to gain leverage for passing bills to enable Louisville to raise more funds and dedicate them to the Trust, working with Kentucky Representatives and Senators in the 2007 Kentucky General Assembly, which begins Jan 2007."

Status in the Metro Council: The Metro Council is waiting for Mayor Abramson to present his recommendations to them. Councilperson Mary Woolridge's AHTF Subcommittee finished meeting in late October, and at her request MHC has provided Councilperson Woolridge with a formal resolution in support of creating and funding a Louisville AHTF. Open the Door hopes Chairperson Woolridge will work with the AHTF Subcommittee to pass this resolution, which would then go to the full Health and Human Services Committee. This Committee would make a recommendation to the full Metro Council and could also draft the ordinance(s) needed to both create a Louisville AHTF and fund it.

Many "Open the Door" supporters, with stickers and signs, made their presence known at the last Metro Council meeting of the year, as 3-minute testimonies were given by Marlene Gordon of The Coalition for the Homeless, Cathy Hinko of Metropolitan Housing Coalition, and Joanette Brown of Women in Transition. We did this at the suggestion of a staff member of a key Metro Councilperson. Joanette made a quiet and emotionally compelling statement about the need for affordable housing for her family that caught the attention of not just the Metro Council, but also the press and the citizens in attendance. It was a great contrast between the long meeting about the dog ordinance, and our testimonies about affordable housing.

Status with the Mayor: Mayor Abramson has said he is studying the recommendations of his AHTF Task Force, which were reported to him on Dec. 4, and in the past he has said he wanted to take action in December or January. This would mean formally presenting to Metro Council and working with the Council to pass the needed ordinances, then with the Jefferson County delegation to garner support for the needed state enabling legislation for certain revenue sources.

His Task Force recommended multiple revenue sources to achieve the needed level of $10 million annually in dedicated ongoing public revenue, as well as recommedations about the program and governance of the Trust. However, in a statement to the press on Dec 19, he said he is looking to fund the AHTF without raising fees or taxes-which is an issue of concern to Open the Door. See action alert for details.

Status with the state Reps and Sens: Also on Tues. night, "Open the Door" representatives presented our legislative priorities for the Louisville AHTF to the Jefferson County state Senators and Representatives. We asked the delegation to pursue enabling legislation for our most important dedicated ongoing public revenue sources, so Louisville has the power to raise certain fees and dedicate the revenue to the Trust. It is essential for Louisville to both formally create the local AHTF, and fund it with revenue sources it can already dedicate to the Trust, as a key legislative strategy for the enabling legislation for additional revenue sources that we asked the delegation to pursue, and that Rep. Wayne already committed to, in the 2007 General Assembly which begins Jan 2007.

Rachel Hurst of The Coalition for the Homeless, Steve Bogus of Catholic Charities, Jamesetta Eddings and Janel Temple of Louisville Habitat for Humanity, and Cathy Hinko of MHC spoke. Jamesetta's testimony was particularly powerful about living for decades in public housing and never even dreaming of owning her own home until she saw that groups like Habitat can make it possible, and achieved homeownership in her 60's.

THANK YOU to:

the hundreds of citizens who enthusiastically participated in the rally;
to every agency, service provider, and faith group - there were many! - that sent several representatives;
to the ally organizations that comprise our Housing Action Team who worked tirelessly yet again to realize our vision for mobilization-without KFTC, Ky Jobs with Justice, Ky Alliance, Women in Transition, the Fairness Campaign, along with CLOUT, MHC, and the Coalition for the Homeless, working as a very intense team, we would not be able to do this work at this level;
to our moderator, David Dutschke of Catholic Charities and CLOUT;
to all our speakers and their powerful, urgent statements in support of the Louisville AHTF: Chair of the Metro Council AHTF Subcommittee Mary Woolridge, Councilperson Tina Ward-Pugh (also on Mayor's AHTF Task Force), Councilperson David Tandy, Representative Jim Wayne, Mary Shearer of KY Habitat for Humanity for leading the song, Alethea Spearman & family who worked with Janel Temple of Louisville Habitat for Humanity, Virginia Durrance & family who worked with Jennifer Jewell of Women in Transition, J. Marie who read the statement of Dixie Lenz (called away for a family emergency), both of Women in Transition; to KFTC for making the house an eye-catching, durable visual aid.
to the members of the Metro Council AHTF Subcommittee for their work, and for Mayor Abramson for convening his AHTF Task Force; and
to everyone who already made a phone call to their Metro Council representative.