Huge Housing Victory!

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:

  • 103 house meetings on the economy (over 1,300 face to face conversations)

  • Public action meeting of 550 people with County Executive Leggett on March 10th

  • Significant attendance at ever major County Council hearing in the past two months

  • 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

Housing Initiative Fund:  A Blessing for so Many


AFFORDABLE HOUSING:

$204 Million since 2001 for Affordable Housing. Commitment by the County Executive Leggett to quadruple the county's yearly affordable housing funds in four years from $20 million a year to $80 million a year by 2010.

Dedicated funding for Affordable Housing. A Joint Resolution of the County Executive and Montgomery County Council to annually dedicate 2.5% of the property tax or $16 million, whichever is greater to the housing trust fund. In 2007 $29.6 Million was dedicated.

$400,000 for 0% interest loans to displaced tenants to use for down payments
on new homes.

In addition there have been commitments for:

  • 1500 units of affordable & work force housing at Shady Grove
  • 600 affordable & workforce housing units on public land
  • 281 affordable units on the private development Crown Farms in Gaithersburg

COMMUNITY CENTERS

$29.7 million for the planning, design and construction of renovations for the Good Hope, Ross Boddy, Scotland and Plum Gar Community Centers. This includes an unprecedented $20 million of protected funding to ensure the centers do not have to compete with other projects for construction funding.

$320,000 for immediate repairs to the Good Hope, Plum Gar, Ross Boddy, Scotland and Clara Barton Community Centers in the 2007 County Budget.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

Won a half-mile long sidewalk on Cape May Road, worth $306,000. This sidewalk allows hundreds of families to safely access busses, work, shopping, doctors, school and church. Before the sidewalk was built, residents without cars along Cape May Road had no option but to walk along the street to reach their homes.

Rumble strips and a flashing light at the Scotland Community. The Scotland Community is a historic African American community that consists of 100 Affordable Housing units in the midst of Potomac, MD. Scotland school children must cross a busy road to get to their school bus. In 2006, a person was hit by a car crossing the road.

Bus stop benches and a bus stop shelter for the Willow Manor Senior Apartments.

New signs and traffic features in:

  • Downtown Silver Spring
  • Colesville
  • Boyds

EDUCATION

All-day kindergarten in all Montgomery County public schools


 TRANSPORTATION

Passage of the first major reform of the taxi industry in fifteen years.  Taxi companies in Montgomery County now have to achieve minimum service standards to continue their work in the county, including picking up most customers within twenty minutes.

INCREASED VOTER PARTICIPATION

AIM increased voter participation by 28% in a low voting precinct in Gaithersburg over other low voting Gaithersburg precincts. (Low voting precinct is defined by less than 25% voter participation in midterm elections.) This was research and development for AIM leaders to see if AIM's style of relational organizing can be used to increase voting of infrequent voters
 

2008 Year-End Report