Our UU community has been a vital part of IMPACT for years and struggling local individuals and families need us more than ever now. For more information, please contact our Network Chair, Kelsey Cowger, at kelseyacowger@gmail.com.
Here’s an update on the two justice crises we’re tackling this year.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Over 6,600 local families are ONE paycheck from homelessness because they pay over half their income for housing. The pandemic has made this continuing crisis even more dire. Families with children are living in motels or cars, seniors are choosing between health needs and housing payments, and hunger is rising. We envision a community where ALL our people can afford a safe and accessible home.
- IMPACT’s vision is to see this problem cut in half in 10 years.
- We need $8 million of annual investment into dedicated Affordable Housing Funds by the city and county to build for families making less than $56,000. Owning a home lifts people out of poverty.
- We want UVA to dedicate at least 300 homes, one-third of their 10-year housing goal, to these same families, or to accept housing choice vouchers.
- More affordable homes in our city and county will not only help families in need, but also reduce their exposures to the novel Coronavirus and spur the local economy.
EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE & EDUCATION
At least 250 local families’ children can’t attend income-based preschool due to high costs and lack of availability.
- In Charlottesville & Albemarle County, public-funded preschool programs are free for low-income and working-class families, but they include no after-school care. That means many income-qualified families still can’t enroll their children, because they need child care through the end of the workday.
- Children who receive no preschool education often enter school behind their peers, and this adds to our local academic achievement gap–already one of the worst in Virginia. We can change this shameful situation.
Our research committees are working to find solutions that ensure that ALL our neighbors will be able to live here affordably, and that ALL our children will receive both reliable care and a good education. Together, we can make an IMPACT!
–Laura Wallace, IMPACT Network Member; Housing Research Committee Member