Please contact Nashville Metro council immediately (today!) re: funds for affordable housing
I'm passing along the text of an email I just received re:applying new funds from the American Rescue Plan toward desperately needed low income and workforce housing:
"Our NOAH Affordable Housing Task Force just met this afternoon (Sunday). We decided to support a resolution by Council Member Colby Sledge to add $20 million more from the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) to affordable housing work.
We want NOAH members to email the Metro Council and ask that Council Member Sledge's proposal be approved.
Below is a sample email that includes facts about ARP and affordable housing. Can you TAKE ACTION on this before Monday afternoon?
1. PLEASE EMAIL THE ENTIRE COUNCIL at councilmembers@nashville.gov
2. It will also make a difference if you EMAIL YOUR OWN COUNCIL MEMBER separately. You can use the same email, but add any personal reasons that you care about this. You can also put your Council Member's name in the subject line, to make sure they see this. Find your Council Member HERE.
SAMPLE EMAIL
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SUBJECT: Please SUPPORT $40.4 million in ARP funding for housing
Dear Council Member,
I am with the NOAH Affordable Housing Task Force and I am writing in support of Council Member Colby Sledge’s Substitute Resolution No. RS2021-1260 to increase ARP funding for affordable housing from $20.2 million to $40.4 million. These federal funds would be used to supplement The Barnes Trust Fund for Affordable Housing, to establish a Catalyst Fund for affordable housing purchases, and to create a centralized database of subsidized housing.
Nashville will be receiving $260 million from the American Rescue Plan (ARP). This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to greatly increase our supply of affordable housing. Affordable housing is at a crisis level – and becoming more so each day, for teachers, emergency responders, essential workers, and people who are homeless. We won’t have this chance again to make such a huge difference in affordable housing!
Other cities are using ARP funds in this way:
Louisville -- $89 million approved by council for housing initiatives. Austin & Travis County -- $216 million. Denver -- $50 million towards housing stability and homelessness.
Metro Nashville's proposal presently allocates less than 8% of ARP funds toward our most pressing need -- housing. Austin dedicated 40% of their ARP funds toward housing. This is 5 times as much as Metro is now proposing.
Please support Council Member Sledge’s resolution to maximize the benefit of ARP funding to our city by investing $40.4 million in this critical need!
Sincerely,
NAME
ADDRESS
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Please let us know if you hear back from any Council Members!
Thank you for taking ACTION as part of NOAH!
NOAH
http://www.noahtn.org/
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NOAH (Nashville Organized for Action and Hope) · PO Box 331144, Nashville, TN 37203, United States
This email was sent to xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You can also keep up with NOAH on Twitter."