"Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house...?
...you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in."
(Isaiah 58:7,12)
"...and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."
(Micah 6:8)
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Huge Housing Victory!
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On the morning of May 21, the Montgomery County
Council voted to approve an FY 2010 budget that includes a
tremendous housing victory for AIM.
This budget includes $57.8 million for the Housing Initiative Fund
(HIF) a flexible pot of money for new affordable housing
construction, rental subsidies, and programs for the homeless.
This was done in a budget year when every other program was cut by
2% or more. In absolute terms, this represents an increase of $16
million in new affordable housing spending over last year, with a
new emphasis on rental subsidies to help out renters in hard
economic times. This was the only substantial increase in the
budget.
This spectacular victory would not have happened without AIM
leaders organizing work:
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103 house meetings on the economy (over 1,300
face to face conversations)
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Public action meeting of 550 people with County
Executive Leggett on March 10th
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Significant attendance at ever major County
Council hearing in the past two months
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Collection of 3,078 pledge cards in support of
our budget priorities from members of our congregations and from
residents of HIF-funded housing whom we canvassed in the past
three weeks
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Housing
Initiative Fund: A Blessing for so Many |
Please explore our website and read our
media
page for the latest AIM-related news. However, the best way to learn more about AIM is to contact one of our core team leaders in your
congregation or community, or
contact the AIM office.