Housing
Several Muslim men in Texas are working with their neighbors to disrupt the cycle of homelessness and incarceration. Founders of Huma-Faith and Halal House are providing transitional housing, job training, and other support services to help individuals successfully reintegrate into society. The program is rooted in Islamic principles of social justice but is open to people of all faiths. Though these houses have difficulty with funding, housing access, and opposition from some community members, they are strengthening communal bonds for individuals who historically have been excluded from transitional housing and other reintegration programs.
In Michigan, St John's Episcopal Church is renovating an unused four-bedroom house to offer temporary housing for refugee families arriving in the state. The St John’s House for New Americans project was spearheaded by Betsy Sole, a member of the congregation, who wanted to offer support to refugees arriving in the US from Afghanistan and Ukraine. The church is working with government-appointed social services agency Samaritas, which helps refugees with all aspects of the resettlement process.
In a larger movement for fair housing, the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization has launched a new housing justice campaign, with over 300 activists rallying in Beacon Hill to push for an increase in funding for public housing subsidies. The campaign is seeking a doubling of the current $92m subsidy to $184m, as well as advocating for legislative action on a new housing bond bill and real estate transfer tax authorisation. It is also campaigning for shelter supports for people leaving prisons and jails. Lawmakers and Gov. Charlie Baker agreed on a five-year, $1.8 billion housing bond bill in 2018, which campaigners say is running out of money.
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In New York, where fair housing has been a high-profile issue, tensions persist between state and local solutions for housing. The NYU Furman Center reported that the incentives-only housing plan rolled out by Albany Democrats this week as a counter to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s more stick-heavy approach won’t build the homes and apartments New York needs to fix its housing crisis. Gov. Hochul's housing plan requires NYC and suburban communities to allow construction of two- to four-story buildings near subway and train stations and establishes a state housing board that can approve housing projects rejected by local officials in municipalities that do not meet their housing targets.
Preservation
In Buffalo, NY, the State Historic Preservation Office is restoring a church despite local preservationists' objections. The Hutchinson Memorial Chapel of the Holy Innocents, a Romanesque-style church built in 1895, has been granted permission by the State Historic Preservation Office to replace its slate roof with asphalt shingles and to remove and store the steeple. The Empire State Development that is leading this restoration process has begun asbestos removal, and plans to spend $400,000 stabilizing the building. Local preservationists have been objecting to these changes because they alter the historic significance of the building, and have expressed disappointment towards the state authority for keeping low accountability from local residents.
