Partnership Provides Community Lunch and Learn About Affordable Housing
The Partnership’s Real Estate Development team, along with other Housing Business Unit staff members, welcomed about 40 local community leaders and staff to a Lunch and Learn at the Partnership’s Central Office location in Decatur with the purpose of helping to alleviate confusion often associated with the term “affordable housing.”
As many in the affordable housing industry have already witnessed, there is a misconception that “affordable housing” equals “public housing”. And those misconceptions are full of negative images related to so-called government housing. To play the role of Myth Buster, The Partnership’s Real Estate Development team decided to bring the information to the people and let those in the local area see for themselves how Community Action and its Housing Business Unit are serving low-income communities with safe and affordable housing that is comparable in quality to most higher income developments.
“Research shows that incomes do increase for people who have stable housing. We do verify incomes annually, but residents do not have to move out if they go above the 60% AMI after they are approved to move in.”
Dave Truitt, Director of Real Estate Development on whether residents are forced out of their homes if their incomes increase
Director of Real Estate Development Dave Truitt led the hour-long learning session, focusing on what affordable housing is and how the Partnership plays a vital role in the affordable housing market across Alabama and other southeastern states. Session attendees learned that Community Action Partnership of North Alabama is the largest non-profit affordable housing developer in the state of Alabama with a portfolio of 1710 units in Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina. A fact unknown by even those with extensive knowledge of the housing and community development industries.
“It’s going to take all of us to educate the community, and it is going to take the community to drive it home.”
Wally Terry, Development Director for the City of Decatur
At the conclusion of the session, Decatur City’s Development Director Wally Terry pointed out the importance of educating the community of not only the need for safe, affordable housing but also the advantages. “It’s going to take all of us to educate the community, and it is going to take the community to drive it home.”
