Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/category/housing/page/4/)
If you’re a millennial and you’re looking for a job in a new city, you might have read (or want to read) the November 19th article in The Atlantic about “why it’s so hard for millenials to find a place to live and work”. The problem, it seems, is that the cities with the most upward mobility and the highest median incomes are also the cities with the least affordable housing. Continue Reading
A colleague of mine (from a more urban city) recently visited. When he arrived, I offered to show him around and he wanted to see transit-oriented development (TOD). Hmm…. I wanted to impress him, but I was stumped. Despite all our attention as a city and region to TODs, I don’t believe we have any great transit villages right off the platform where we could go that would really resonate with him. There’s Nicollet Mall and Target Field Station, but I wanted him to say, “wow, this is great!,” but I didn’t feel those would produce that response. Maybe I have impossibly high standards (maybe I’m just getting old and codgery), or maybe the Twin Cities is lagging a bit in the TOD quality department. So I took him for a drive along the West River Parkway and to West River Commons, which impressed him. This begs the question what is TOD and how can we do it better? Continue Reading
Nearly 1 million more children are homeless in our country than in 2010, according to a new report called “America’s Youngest Outcasts,” by the American Institutes for Research and The National Center on Family Homelessness. One in 30 children in the nation is experiencing homelessness. The report is based on recently released 2012-2013 data. Continue Reading
There is a small war going on in America’s second-ring suburbs. Continue Reading
Who wants to talk about granny flats some more?! By now, I hope you’ve read Bill Lindeke’s post on the subject, Max Musicant’s post on how it relates to preservation, and Alex Cecchini’s ideas on how to improve the draft ordinance. Most of Alex’s suggestions were incorporated into the new and improved draft ordinance, which is contained in the staff report. If you haven’t read the 82-page PDF on ADUs yet, you’re forgiven. The report was prepared by planners from the Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) department for the City Planning Commission, who will be considering the issue this Monday, November 10, around 5:00 pm. Here’s the report’s big takeaway: A lot of people like the idea of legalizing backyard cottages and attic apartments for many different reasons. Continue Reading
My brother was a homeless veteran. Since his death, Veterans Day isn’t just another meaningless federal holiday. I’m grateful that two years before my brother died, he found housing. Yet over 57,000 veterans are homeless each night, according to HUD. Sixty percent of them are in shelters, the rest un-sheltered. Nearly 5,000 are female.
This fall NOC has been getting out the vote by engaging thousands of community members in the electoral process.
The Family Place (244 E.10th St., Saint Paul), the only day shelter for homeless families in Ramsey County, is finally getting into gear their long-awaited Montessori program, all thanks to the generosity of 10-year-old Bella Lauer.”When I was little, I always wanted to do something to change the world,” said Lauer. “When my mom found this day center and I saw the children’s room, I knew I had found a way to do it.”Lauer was honored with The Family Place’s First Annual Outstanding Youth Award for her inner beauty and graciousness in helping children in the community. At her last birthday party, instead of presents, Lauer asked for donation money to provide books and toys for The Family Place’s infant and preschool-aged children’s room, now renamed Casa de la Bella.Lauer raised almost $5,000. The children’s room has been completely refurbished and The Family Place has been able to begin training its staff and volunteers in Montessori teaching methods.This article is reposted from TCDP media partner Insight News. Check out the links below for other recent Insight News stories:Man interruptedYour right to remain silent”And it’s all because of Bella,” said Dr. Margaret Lovejoy, founder of The Family Place, who has been fighting alongside homeless families on many fronts for more than 13 years.”It’s important that we have the courage to be able to help children learn,” said Lovejoy. Continue Reading
The ground has been broken.
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At a Cedar-Riverside neighborhood meeting earlier this month, a Somali elder stood and addressed attendees, painting an image of a recent frightening encounter with what he believed was a gang of drunken, homeless individuals.