Victories
- Housing
- Health Care
- Transportation
- Community Centers
- Pedestrian Safety
- Education
- Immigration
- 10% Is Enough!
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
WATCH $224 MILLION FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING!
Background: “15,000 people are on a waiting list for about 500 housing vouchers that become available in a given year. The list has been closed for almost two years. Most of the applicants have household incomes of $40,000 to $50,000 (2010, Washington Post).” From 2003-2005, the county lost 25% of affordable rental stock, 11,591 units. This has led to the exile of our children, parents, grandparents, and neighbors. (Affordable is defined as units with gross rents under $999 per month. National Housing Trust Foundation).
AIM’s Housing Successes:
- $224 million for the Housing Initiative Fund (HIF), affordable housing monies, since 2003. In 2003, AIM leaders organized and won a dedicated funding source for affordable housing. Each year which ever is great, 2 ½ percent of the property tax or $18 million goes into HIF. These funds have been used to build or refurbish over 5,000 units of for sale, senior, rental and disability housing throughout the county.
Map of Affordable Housing built with HIF funds
Stories of Families and Individuals who have benefited from HIF funds
- Millions for Homelessness Prevention Programs. 10% of HIF (see above) recourses in recent years have been used for homelessness prevention.
- Creation of the Permanent Partnership for Housing, the effort provides housing and wraparound social services for families transitioning from homelessness to a stable housing environment.
- $400,000 in 0% loans for Displaced Tenants
- Commitment for over 500 units by Private Developers at both up-county and down-county sites.
- Expanded Tenants’ Right of First Refusal
- Windows Fixed at Low-Income Senior Housing Building, Willow Manor.
HEALTH CARE
Background: An estimated 120,000 low-income uninsured people live in our county. Last year, the county clinics served 26,000 patients. Due to our current economic crisis, those without insurance are increasing.
AIM’s Health Care Successes: In 2010, increase of $500,000 to county budget to provide primary health care for those without insurance.
TRANSPORTATION
Major Taxi Reform. AIM’s efforts to improve taxi service resulted in the passage of the first major taxi reform of the industry in fifteen years which will improve the lives of low-income seniors and persons with disabilities who rely on cabs for transportation.
New Buses for Elementary School Students at Silver Spring International School
COMMUNITY CENTER
WATCH $30 MILLION FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN CENTERS!
Background:
There are many historic African American communities located through out Montgomery County including Scotland in Potomac, Sandy Spring in Olney, Plum Gar in Germantown and Good Hope in Burtonsville. The AIM Community Centers campaign brought these historic African American community centers together with AIM congregations to collectively organize around the same issue, renovate these four sorely neglected centers now.
Success:
$30 million was won to renovate the four African American community centers. This will impact the 3,500 families who are within walking distance of these community centers, particularly the seniors and low-income, at-risk youth who mostly utilize these centers.
Throughout the spring, AIM organized 3 actions at the community centers with 106-147 leaders each, culminating in an Action with 1,047 AIM leaders, Community Center members and the County Council. Despite a tight budget year, after this action the Council added full funding for the renovation of these four centers in the final CIP budget.
UPDATE: Plum Gar Community Center in Germantown begins construction this summer 2011 and Scotland Community Center will begin construction this November 2011. Both projects will take approximately 18 months to complete. Ross Body in Sandy Spring and Good Hope in Silver Spring are in the final stages of Design and Development and construction on them will begin next summer.
PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
Half-mile long sidewalk along Cape May Road in the historic African-American Good Hope Community. Hundreds of low-income families without cars must walk along this road to access buses, schools, grocery stores and pharmacies.
Major Traffic Safety Improvements
- Flashing light and crosswalk at Scotland
- Increased crossing time for pedestrians at New Hampshire and Colesville near Willow Manor Senior Living Home.
- "No Outlet" sign on White Ground Road in Boyds
- Sign warning of pedestrian crossing in downtown Silver Spring
A Shelter and Benches at Public Bus Stop in front of Senior Low-Income Housing.
IMMIGRATION REFORM: LOCAL & STATE
Background
Local: Our County has historically been a place welcoming to immigrants. This welcoming environment has allowed the county to maintain one of the most dynamic, growing economies in the nation. However, there are groups that are putting pressure on Montgomery County politicians to cut services and education rights to immigrants.
State: AIM believes that all immigrant students, regardless of their immigration status, should pay the same in-state tuition rates of their peers. Before the passage of the MD DREAM law, if a talented undocumented youth wanted to attend college or a state University they had to pay double or triple the rates of their peers. (In Maryland, the exception is Montgomery College that had been allowing all county students to pay in-county rates.) The high tuition rates meant most of our hard working students were forced to stop their education because they could not afford it. We believe it is a win-win-win-win to educate our immigrant youth. It is good for the students, good for Maryland and good for our communities. More Maryland college graduates means more taxes for our state and more tithes for our congregation.
There are some who are working now to undo the MD Dream Law. AIM Clergy and lay leaders are working to get out the word in Maryland about the importance of this new law.
AIM’s Message on the Importance of the Maryland Dream Act
AIM’s Successes:
Local: AIM leaders received public assurances in front of hundreds of AIM members from County Executive Leggett that the county will remain welcoming to all, including that tuition at Montgomery College will tay the same for everyone.
State: The Maryland Dream Act was signed into law.
10% IS ENOUGH! Anti-usury campaign
Background: Cap interest charges at 10%. Usury, simply defined, is the over-charging of borrowers. By trapping consumers into sub-prime mortgages, endless credit-card debt, payday loans, sky-high overdraft charges, and other outrageous financial snares.
AIM & our Sister Metro IAF Organizations’ Successes: Metro IAF is the first group to organize serious institutional and public money out of the worst offending financial institutions. This includes: A) Over $230 million dollars from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts out of Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo, and JP Morgan Chase B) $25 million from the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod (NY Eastern District) C) Civil Service Employees Association, New York’s largest public employees union.
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Action In Montgomery 
8900 Georgia Ave
Silver Springs, MD 20910
301-588-0330