First Hand Blog 6/1/16

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Hello readers! Hope you’re having a great day!

Today I wanted to talk about the new housing campaign HAND is launching. The campaign is called Housing For All (#Housing4HamCo), and HAND is excited. HAND is hoping to raise awareness and community involvement regarding the need for affordable housing in Hamilton County. Strategies were developed at the Neighborhoods NOW Conferences that will run through the year 2018. These strategies are as follows:

 

  1. Growth Strategies
  • Partner with businesses to meet employees’ needs, encourage business expansion, support place-making in northern Hamilton County and generate funding for mixed-income developments
  1. Affordability
  • Support public and private partnerships to address critical, immediate housing needs while maintaining a focus on permanent housing options that promotes vibrant, stable communities
  1. Sustainability
  • Linking jobs with housing, which reduces commuter costs
  1. Seniors
  • Create housing that allows seniors to age in place, and build communities that are physically and financially accessible for all generations

 

With donations and support, HAND is hoping to achieve great success in providing affordable and quality housing for seniors, families, and millennials. Hamilton County is planning to grow more and more within the next few years. This growth includes creating job opportunities for many current and incoming residents. With this expansion comes new workers who want and need to live in Hamilton County. However, the county has a significant lack in available affordable housing that the incoming workers will need. Commuting costs can be burdensome on many workers, making it difficult to maintain the jobs they have in Hamilton County. HAND would like to solve this problem by creating new housing units so that commuting costs and high housing prices are not an issue.

 

HAND also plans to partner with local businesses. By having direct relationships with businesses and their employees, HAND can better assist the needs of residents and workers. Public and private partnerships will also aid HAND in addressing immediate housing needs and expanding the community. Working together with neighboring organizations and businesses helps HAND stay in the loop and allows HAND to help bring the community together. Understanding the needs and wants of Hamilton County is vital to HAND’s work. With increased communication, HAND is able to grow the community and make it into the vibrant, diverse county it is more than capable of being.

 

Be on the look-out for ways to get involved in the campaign and community as a whole. Residents of Hamilton County play one of the biggest roles in development and local improvement. By voicing concerns and supporting local businesses and organizations, residents can make a big impact on their neighborhoods and cities. HAND hopes that their neighbors will support the goal of increasing housing for all.