Housing advocacy gets its legs
Grassroots faith organization CALEB gathered at the steps of city hall on Thursday to unveil its housing proposal for Chattanooga.
In it, the group outlined what goals members hope city officials with pursue.
"We should dispel the myth that affordable housing is an issue exclusively for those on welfare or those receiving housing vouchers," CALEB said in the proposal found online. "It's affecting a substantial majority of us and growing every month. Addressing the housing crisis isn't a matter of charity; rather it is an investment in the cohesion and prosperity of our entire community."
CALEB putting a call to action to the city to act is needed; affordable housing is the issue of our time.
Between 2016 and 2021, one out of every four rental homes became unaffordable to households earning $35,000, according to data from CALEB. Since 2021, the cost of rent has increased 30% — outpacing the 13% growth in household incomes.
It's good to see grassroots community organizations demand that their voices — citizen voices — be heard on such a pervasive issue.

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The statistics paint a dire picture.

​Between 2016 and 2021, one out of every four rental homes became unaffordable to households earning $35,000, according to data from the group Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality & Benevolence. Since 2021, the cost of rent has increased 30% — outpacing the 13% growth in household incomes.

Now, community members are hoping city leaders can do something about it. Chanting "homes for all," members of CALEB stood on the steps of City Hall on Thursday evening to call on Chattanooga leaders to follow through with policy goals outlined in an affordable housing action plan released by Mayor Tim Kelly's office in August.

"I live in Highland Park just a few miles from here, where a lot of my neighbors who have lived in that neighborhood for decades, especially people of color, are being priced out," April Berends, the rector of Grace Episcopal Church, said during the news conference.

Specifically, they want the city to dedicate a consistent revenue stream for an affordable housing trust fund, form a local mortgage pool to expand access to homeownership and use public subsidies to increase citywide housing options. They're urging community members to speak in support of these measures at the upcoming City Council meeting at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at 1000 Lindsay St. More information is available at calebcha.org/housing.

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Chattanoogans call for city action on affordable housing crisis

Eyeing construction of a new sports arena built partially with public funds in 2016, the Milkwaukee Bucks entered into a legally binding contract with the community: By 2023, the minimum wage for janitors, ushers, food service workers and others would be $15 an hour, which would continue to increase annually at a rate tied to inflation.

Additionally, a significant percentage of hires would come from ZIP codes with high unemployment or underemployment, a term that describes people working involuntarily part-time or earn a wage below the cost of living.

In 2018, when Major League Soccer expanded to Nashville, community groups insisted a new soccer stadium and the associated development come with a series of expectations. Stand Up Nashville negotiated a community benefits agreement with Nashville Soccer Holdings -- Tennessee's first -- that mandated 20% of all housing units to be reserved as affordable or workforce housing. It also required the company to pay stadium workers at least $15.50 an hour and to set aside square footage for child care, local artisans and small businesses.

​Now, as Chattanooga and Hamilton County officials hammer out a final deal to cover the cost increase for a new multiuse baseball stadium for the minor league Lookouts, an official with the team said he's hopeful the approximately 18-month negotiations on an associated community benefits agreement are nearing a resolution.

"I think we're extremely close," Jason Freier, CEO of Lookouts owner Hardball Capital, said in an interview.

The members of the South Broad Community Benefits Coalition:— South Chattanooga Community Association.

• Community Association of Historic St. Elmo.
• Mary Walker Towers resident council.
• The Bethlehem Center.
• Chattanooga Building Trades.
• Chattanooga Area Labor Council.
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 175.
• Iron Workers Local 704.
• Green Spaces.
• Service Employees International Union Local 205.
• Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality and Benevolence.

Geoffrey Meldahl, a member of the community group Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality and Benevolence, said negotiators have been forthright that they are not interested in this deal being window dressing.

"This has to be a substantial agreement that makes a real material difference in the lives of Chattanoogans or nothing at all," Meldahl said in an email.

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