CHEER participates in Takoma Park’s Community Conversation on Affordable Housing

On February 6, 2016 CHEER participated in Takoma Park’s Community Conversation on Affordable Housing. This was the first in a series of community conversations hosted by Mayor Kate Stewart. The event gave community members the opportunity to hear from local and national experts, and allow them to share experiences and new ideas for addressing affordable housing in the City of Takoma Park.

Vineda Myers, Director of Housing Programs, was one of seven speakers. In her presentation she discussed the housing and civic engagement work of the CHEER Community Association engages in, and shared statistics and data on housing affordability in Takoma Park. After the presentations attendees participated in one of two group discussions. One on current housing programs and policies, and the other on new approaches and ideas for housing.

The event was attended by renters, home owners, elected officials, and representatives from local community organization. It was a productive and much needed discussion on the City’s housing policies and how all stake holders are affected by them. But this was only the beginning of the conversation. Stake holders need more time to talk and work together to set an agenda that will help shape housing policy in the City of Takoma Park. We look forward to continuing this conversation with community members in the near future.