Wednesday, 21 February 2018

I just finished crying over the happy ending of a Hallmark movie... small town and lost love and new beginnings... sounds like a Hallmark theme!  :-)  I thought about the references to art in our lives... being creators of it.  I started my life wanting to be involved in art, it was my "major" in high school (they had those back then... I don't know what they have now)... I created things throughout my life, but never thought of art as an income source, a job.  Now, with the ability to sell online, to create and publish, I am trying to find the direction I want to go with my artistic interests.

I keep having problems getting started... finding the space, the topics, the time... the money. 

Now, it is my retirement project.  :-)

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The snow is still cold outside.
It is also so beautiful when you don't live in it for the whole winter season.  :-)

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I decided to share my poverty housing idea with the local housing authority... I sent it in an email to the main offices, but then decided to follow up with a copy of my email to the main people involved in making the decisions about government housing.  I hope someone listens to me.  They are planning to destroy the lives of so many people already in one of their housing developments by selling the property... an old property, so it must need to be rebuilt... that means money.

The cry in the media is always about ending poverty, ending homelessness, ending this or ending that... but these are human issues and they NEVER go away, we just have new people entering the process and some people leaving -- or going to another part of the government, like prisons or hospitals or graveyards.  We need real solutions, things that will keep working no matter who is in the middle of this struggle.

What is my housing idea?
It's the one about changing the tax subsidies into a home ownership program, using the same "percent of income" approach that is already in place.  Creating a permanent program where the government owns the land and the poor buy the housing, build their housing, rehab their housing, etc.  This means the government can't throw them out, fine them for putting nails in the walls, forbid them from having people stay with them, limit their incomes, etc.

It means low-income people can start where they are and build a better life, without the limitations of current oversight regulations.  It means homeless people can buy a permanent place to live, with their Social Security income.  It means real stability, asset building to grow out of this housing program and find a traditional home to buy later, when they are ready, if they decide to.  It is an opportunity to learn about home ownership issues under a safe umbrella... with flexibility in costs (taxes, payments, insurance, etc.) and administration (home owner associations).

It takes the income restrictions off the checklist after you qualify and obtain the place you decide to purchase... and it gives you some say in the decision of where to live, the ability to say NO to one place and keep looking until you find the one you want. 

I guess you can see what I dream for poverty families... and how the problems of poverty create the programs I dream of... how my experiences and knowledge filter into the things I want to see happen.  There is a huge difference in the views of the government and the ones who organize and legislate poverty programs and those of the recipients.

This view of poverty home ownership changes a tax subsidy program into an income-producing program.
It is something the government needs to do.
For housing and for business and for other places tax dollars are spent.

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It has been a day of huge thoughts.
I have been working on goals, on discovering, on sharing.

I guess that is what I do.
I try to solve the problems of MY world!  :-)

Until next time,
In Christ,

Deborah Martin
work2gather.us

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May we stop blaming the poor for all our fiscal issues and begin to see the future of America as a budget in need of help.
We are a nation, a national family, a huge group of citizens who all love our country and want it to do what is right.
There are principles that apply to every budget, every house, every family... we need to apply them.
May GOD give courage and wisdom and integrity to our leaders, our businesses, our citizens... so we can stay strong as a country.
May we all create a better future together... without greed and corruption and the misuse of power.
Amen.