We asked Mayor O'Connell to include $10 million in his next budget to fund a revolving loan fund to finance bond-financed permanently affordable social housing. His recommended budget allocates $7 million for a revolving loan fund to support bond-financed housing.

This is an important first step, but we need guarantees that the housing built through the fund will, by legal mandate, be permanently affordable, publicly owned, and community controlled, and that housing justice advocates and housing insecure residents get to play a direct role in shaping and governing this new housing program.

We also asked Mayor O'Connell for a budget that moves $15 million for non-police community safety. Unfortunately, his recommended budget falls well short of this urgent demand.

Email Metro Council members to make our demands clear: fund housing we can stay in and safety that meets our needs!