Letters: Another perspective in T’burg

My neighbors have urged me to share my family’s story, since we have benefited personally from access to affordable housing.
Five years ago, when my husband received a job transfer to Portland, Oregon, I was self-employed, with a new baby and an overworked partner. When I explored the rental market, our options were dingy, noisy apartments, not walkable or appealing by any standards.
I Googled “Portland affordable housing” and learned about The Ramona.

A new, LEED-certified building was just completed on the outskirts of a yuppie neighborhood. I called, they reserved a unit for us, and the journey began.
We underwent a lengthy and stringent criminal background, credit and rental history checks. Under the wire and in a ball of stress, we secured a home and settled in.
We were the first family to inhabit our apartment and we were thrilled.

Of the approximately 125 families that inhabited The Ramona, many were single moms just starting out on their own. It was AMAZING to see the supportive community they created in our building.
There was also an entrepreneur married to a musician, with three kids at home and one in college. A law student married to a nursing student, with a toddler and a new baby.
Without access to affordable housing my husband couldn’t walk or bike to work. With access, we gathered for parties in the community room and playdates in the courtyard playground.

Single houses may feel like “The American Dream,” but the proximity was a strong positive – for us and for the most vulnerable families, especially. A neighbor watched my daughter when we delivered our second daughter. We felt safe and included.
When we moved back east, we saved up to buy a house in our most desired neighborhood – the Village of Trumansburg – a walkable community with a bus line to work and pretty amazing amenities for a village its size.
For us, it wasn’t all grit and bootstraps. We were given a path to affordable housing with dignity – even joy – and it was a springboard to home ownership.

As homeowners between the Hamilton Square site and Main Street – arguably one of the section that would be most affected by the proposed housing development – I see this as a much-needed alternative to the long, demoralizing commutes that keep area families from spending time together.

I see life-changing walkable access to a great library and public schools. Neighbors with a sense of pride and satisfaction in their tidy, attractive new quarters, close to families like ours who will share the benefits of our close-knit community.

When I think about a bump in the number of young families, I envision a MORE sustainable T’burg without frequent turnover of small businesses into empty storefronts. A place where we can sustain our schools, support more family-oriented initiatives and uplift more families.

So let’s not simply ask “How will this affect me?” Let’s also support practical solutions for mitigating the existing problems that put T’burg and Tompkins County out of reach for so many families.

 

Erin Fierst
Trumansburg