HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-11-23 Public Comment - J. Shaida - Dec. 12, 2023, Housing Agenda ItemFrom:Julia Shaida
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Dec. 12, 2023, Housing Agenda Item
Date:Sunday, December 10, 2023 8:27:52 AM
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Dear Commissioners,
Since the 1970s, segregation based on race in the United States has declined by 30 percent. Inthat same time, segregation based on income has skyrocketed. The rich live with the rich, and
do not know working class people as neighbors. In this way, we are nurturing an alienationbased on how much money a person has. This segregating process is unfolding in Bozeman
now, as retirees and young people get priced out.
I applaud the Commission for taking action to reverse this trend--with the encouragement ofconstruction of ADUs and other rental units in the City. I am writing today to encourage you--
additionally--to explore the potential for publicly funded housing, that is, Social Housing.
Social Housing is a creative way for the City of Bozeman to have long-term income producingassets. It enables the construction of buildings that have guaranteed affordable rents. Most
important--when the public owns both higher-income and lower-income units--Social Housingoffers a model of living in community in which neighbors are in relation to, in connection
with, people of different income levels. This is good for the fabric of society itself.
Let us be as imaginative as we can be. Let us keep including in our housing solutions ones thatnurture connection.
Many thanks to the Commission and the hardworking staff of the City of Bozeman,
Julia Shaida621 N. Bozeman Avenue
Bozeman, MT 59715