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“Ann Frances saved my life.”
Kirk, who was previously living on the street contemplating suicide, found new hope after landing an apartment. The Ann Frances Outreach Foundation made that possible, Kirk told a packed crowd at last week’s gala dinner in Limerick.
Kirk brought many to tears as he shared his story. (Photos courtesy of Alyssa Rose Photography)
The event featured a moving video of several lives transformed, thanks to housing and basic necessities assistance provided by the non-profit. Speeches included board president Steve Breidigan, founder Kelly Horvat, and Montco 30% director Mike Hays (his remarks are below).
Kelly Horvat (center) with Mr. and Mrs. Shawn Freeman. (Photos courtesy of Alyssa Rose Photography)
We think of home in different ways – our base, our nest, our familiar place of peace and quiet, and our space where we share life’s joys and valleys with the ones we love.
My current home is Bridgeport, and the story of Montco 30% began before I ever lived there. In August 2021, Hurricane Ida battered parts of southeastern Pennsylvania with fierce winds, seemingly never-ending torrential rain, and resulting floodwaters. My building – Bridgeport Suites – flooded so badly that it destroyed the basement floor apartments, evicting the tenants without notice, and knocking out elevator service for the next year.
Mike Hays, director of MC 30, shared his struggles as a renter. (Photos courtesy of Alyssa Rose Photography)
Neighbors I never met were climate refugees. The government responded to this hurricane, just like it always does – with swift and immediate aid, paired with resources and dollars to build anew.
At the same time, we are failing too many of our citizens – many of whom work in essential jobs, sometimes multiple jobs, yet cannot afford the rent. They might encounter a calamity that leaves them on the brink of catosphere and financial ruin. It’s a quiet storm that is also unrelenting. But these systems – yes, they are systems – are often a major contributor to homelessness.
For example, consider unsafe living conditions. On Route 100, situated above a restaurant, a woman is living in deteriorating conditions tonight amongst cockroaches, with unreliable plumbing. Elsewhere, some units in Pottstown are mold-infested with leaking roofs. Tenants at the lower end of the income scale feel that they can’t afford better, so they accept it.
What’s one possible answer?
More robust inspections and safety standards. Oversight is needed. Whether it comes from the county, commonwealth, or HUD, we need to do better on basic safety measures. Part of the Community Development Block Grant process could require an audit of rental properties within the community.
Consider a different example —- Workplace accidents, especially for single parents. In the legislative office where I work, I spoke to a woman who was living out of her car for the very first time. She was terrified. Listening to her story, it was clear that many of her challenges and trouble began with a freak accident. She was working for a traffic control company on a roadside construction site. While flagging vehicles along, a driver ran her over, causing lasting damage that would limit her income for years.
A more proactive and progressive government could fill the gap between what Workers Compensation pays and the victim’s pre-accident monthly income.
A more proactive and progressive government would raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania, which sits at the embarrassing rate of $7.25 per hour.
A more proactive and progressive government would not watch millions of its citizens become cost-burdened while they try in earnest to keep a roof over their head. It was FDR who said “true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence.”
Yet in Montgomery County, 74,000 people live above the poverty line but struggle to afford housing, and are NOT eligible for most public benefits
Roughly half of renters in MontCo spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, according to a county report. Some folks spend way more than this, such as the SSD recipient who spent 90% of his disability check on housing.
That’s where our name comes from: The Pursuit and Vision of a Future where virtually no one spends more than 30% of their income on housing, unless they choose to do so. Hell, I have a decent government job and my housing figure is 41%.
My dad – ironically a carpenter who helped build many of the single-family homes here in Montgomery County – raised me to work harder and avoid complaining.
So, what can we do together to address this crisis? You’re here tonight, so I know you care about easing the suffering of those around you. Kelly and Kiki are true servant leaders. I often see them and their volunteers in Norristown feeding the hungry. Thank you for all that you do.
Walls erected in communities around us (zoning, silent exclusion)
Richard Kahlenberg writes in his book, Excluded: “Simply put, snob zoning blocks opportunity. Where you live in America dramatically shapes your opportunities and those of your children. Neighborhoods determine one’s access to transportation, employment opportunities, decent health care, and good schools.
If exclusionary zoning is a fountainhead of economic and racial inequality, artificially drives up prices, and is bad for the environment, why does it persist?
The short answer is that for generations, politicians have been terrified to address the issue.
Of course, this involves dialogue, deep listening, and leadership (what to say in those difficult conversations or at heated town hall meeting). Then, we paint our targets and vision, and organize to achieve them.
In the words of Mark Boorse, we need to Lead past fear: “We are watching a portion of the public becoming increasingly vocal in opposition to proposed solutions that actually are in the interest of the whole community, including them. While that opposition presents as anger, it is important that we name that as driven by fear. And that we name specific strategies to address not homelessness itself, but the fear that gets in the way of innovative and collaborative solutions that are already being proven successful in other communities. An example of this might be the development of a toolkit for municipal leadership to address local concerns in a way that also insists on solutions. We need as leaders to own and share the responsibility to help communities to move from fear to solution.”
In Pennsburg…. UPV Homelessness Coalition
In Upper Providence Township …. Royersford Baptist Church
In West Norriton and Upper Gwynedd Townships …. Proactively working with affordable developers
Right here in Limerick Township ... .Where a few years ago, a candidate for supervisor had the courage to run on a platform that included affordable/workforce housing for her constituents. She came up short that time, but we need more servants with the courage to lead.
IN CLOSING,
If you live or work in Montgomery County, please consider getting involved with our work at Montco 30% Project.
I remain optimistic that we can achieve significant progress by working together, with all of us playing a role.
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