Citizens Planning and Housing Association, Inc. » Take Action

Get Involved in the Charter School Applications. Attend a Public Meeting!

Aidan — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:53:47 +0000

A public Board of School Commissioners meeting will be held this month at which applicants for converting Baltimore City schools into public charter schools will make presentations of their plans. Following all of the presentations, there will be a regular public comment at which citizens can have their say on the merits of the applications.

The meeting will be held:

May 29th, 2012
5:30pm
1st Floor Board Room
Alice G. Pinderhughes Administrative Building
200 E. North Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21202

Don’t miss a chance to influence a process that will lead to big changes in the City Schools. Click here to go to the BCPSS’s Board website.

Want More Investment in Our Youth? Tell Your City Council Member to Vote Against the Mayor’s Budget

Aidan — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:50:08 +0000

The Safe and Sound Campaign, which advocates on behalf of Baltimore City’s families, children, and youth, is dissatisfied with the way the City’s FY2013 budget has taken shape. Namely, two resolutions which received UNANIMOUS support in the City Council part of the budget formulation process have not been included in the Board of Estimates-approved version of the document. Those two resolutions would have doubled the current level of spending on afterschool programs and youth summer jobs, respectively. These increases represent a mere drop in the bucket of the City’s $3 billion budget.

Not only are afterschool programs and youth employment especially important at a time when recreation centers in Baltimore are undergoing huge transformations and the job market is slow to recover, Mayor Rawlings-Blake promised during the 2011 campaign that she would support the spending increases Safe and Sound wants in this budget.

This isn’t over yet, though. The City Council now has the opportunity to hold the current budget up until the investment Mayor Rawlings-Blake promised in the youth of Baltimore City is finally made. Each member of the City Council supported the resolutions that got these modest increases into the budget to begin with, now only EIGHT need to be convinced that our children are worth holding up approval of the budget. Click here to see which members are already resolved to hold up the budget, then enter your zip code and a concise, editable message in opposition to the current budget will appear. Simply add your address and hit send.

This post is intended to present an opportunity for citizen engagement. It does not necessarily represent the mission of CPHA.

Tell Your Senator to Protect a Critical Source of Affordable Housing Data

Aidan — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:50:00 +0000

This is a post originally written by the National Low Income Housing Coalition. All emphasis is that of the original post. Read more from the NLIHC at nlihc.org.

On May 9, the House voted to eliminate funding for the American Community Survey (ACS) in its FY13 Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill. Your organization can show its support for the ACS today by signing onto a letter that will be circulated to the Senate. The deadline for signing on to this letter is [today], May 15. See below for instructions for signing on.

The Senate is expected to mark up its FY13 Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill the week of May 21 and it is critical that your Senators hear how important funding for the ACS is to determining the need for affordable housing.

The House also passed an amendment that would make responses to the ACS voluntary by prohibiting the Census Bureau and Department of Justice from enforcing penalties for not responding to the ACS. This would have severely compromised the validity of the ACS if the House had funded it. It is also critical for Senators to know that the ACS needs to be mandatory in order to remain a valid source of data.

The ACS provides critical data on the incomes and housing conditions for households across the country that NLIHC and other affordable housing organizations use to determine the need for affordable housing. The ACS is a critical resource in educating Congress, the Administration, and the public on the lack of affordable housing.

The Census Project, a coalition of organizations including NLIHC, dedicated to a fair and accurate census, is circulating a sign on letter urging Senators to continue funding for the ACS in its FY13 appropriations bill.

We urge you to sign this letter.

The deadline to sign on is close of business [today]. To sign on, email your organization’s name along with the city and state in parentheses (city, state abbreviation) to Brendan Nichols bnichols@ccmc.org at The Census Project.

You can also contact your Senators directly by calling the Congressional switchboard at 877-210-5351 to be connected to your Senators’ offices. Click on the blue Take Action link above and enter your zip code to find your Senators’ numbers.

If you call, please email us at outreach@nlihc.org to let us know which office you called and how the call went.

Save a Life! Keep Baltimore’s Fire Stations Open!

Cammie — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:32:55 +0000

Contact your City Council members and the Mayor’s office. Let them know that the closing of three of the city’s fire stations, Truck 10 in Harlem Park, Truck 15 in Broadway East/Berea and Squad 11 in Bayview/Greektown is unsupported, not to mention a safety hazard.

According to a Baltimore Brew article, City Council president Bernard C. “Jack” Young is quoted as viewing the department’s plan to close these three fire stations as “unacceptable and an attempt to pit neighborhoods against each other.” Baltimore’s City’s response time is currently behind the national standard for response times. Fire officials claim the closings and redeployment of equipment won’t affect response times (just save money). Firefighters unions disagree and are concerned about the lack of coverage swaths of the city would experience if fire units were closed.

Watch this less than three minute video produced by IAFF Local 734, which shows how quickly a small fire can engulf a room. Even a few seconds difference in response time is no small matter.

Your opinion matters! Truck 6 at Locust Point Fire Station is staying open because of a “re-evaluation by headquarters and other factors” and thanks to vocal opposition from Councilman Cole.

Contact your City Council member and the Mayor’s office about the importance of keeping all of the fire stations open. Click here to find which City Council member you should contact.

Sign a Petition So Banks Help Marylanders Who Are Struggling With Foreclosure

Aidan — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:12:38 +0000

Since the beginning of the foreclosure crisis, the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition (MCRC) has worked tirelessly and in a variety of ways to advocate on behalf of homeowners facing foreclosure. On May 15th, MCRC will meet with Wells Fargo to discuss specific improvements it can make to its servicing practices, including:

Producing meaningful principal reduction programs, along with reforms to the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) system homeowners use in the loan modification process
“Deficiency judgment waivers for the value of mortgages written down as a result of foreclosures”

MCRC will also be asking Wells Fargo about its initial response to the foreclosure crisis. Ahead of this meeting, they want to hear from you. Put your signature on a Moving Maryland Forward Network petition requesting that large mortgage-servicing banks take more immediate action to keep families in their homes. Last month, 14,000 families in Maryland learned that they were threatened by foreclosure.

The recent national foreclosure settlement requires some good things, including principal reduction. However, the onus is now on the banks to go even further to ensure that they do everything they can to prevent their clients from going into foreclosure.

Occupy General Growth Properties, Take the Harbor Back

Cammie — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:29:53 +0000

March to Occupy General Growth Properties (GGP). Show your support for United Workers and fight for fair development along side hundreds of low-wage workers, community allies and harbor workers. Help make the Inner Harbor, Harbor Place Mall and malls across the country “Human Rights Zones”.

The March to Occupy GGP is a four mile, non-violent march and occupation aimed at taking back the harbor and demanding a change to “business as usual.” March to the steps of GGP and march further through Harborplace mall, “a temple of consumerism, and fill the space with the possibilities of shared dreams and demands for human rights and Fair Development.”

March to Occupy GGP
Saturday, May 19th
11:00 A.M
Gather at Gwynn Falls Elementary,
2700 Gwynns Falls Parkway, Baltimore, MD 21216

Bus Lines: 5, 7, 1, 51, 53, 52
Metro Stop: Mondawmin Station
Parking available in school parking lot

E-mail occupyggp@unitedworkers.org for questions and to R.S.V.P

This post is provided as an opportunity for citizen engagement but does not necessarily reflect the mission of CPHA.

Attend The Baltimore Education Coalition Rally

Cammie — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:18:46 +0000

Baltimore Education Coalition will be hosting a rally on the grounds in front of City Hall to call on the Mayor and our other elected officials to pass the important bottle tax so that school construction may take place and funding cuts to after school programs may be restored.

Baltimore Education Coalition Rally
Monday, May 14
6:00 p.m. – 7:15 p.m.

City Hall Entrance
100 N. Holiday Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
* rain location in the War Memorial Building, across the street from City Hall

REGISTER FOR FREE BUS TRANSPORTATION FOR YOUR GROUP – Click Here

State and City Budgets Are Out of Balance! The BEC’s Goals:

1. Restore State Education Funding
* State passed “Doomsday” budget - cuts $22 million to city schools.

2. Increase Afterschool Funding

* Mayor budget proposal cuts funding for after school programs by 3% ($200,000)

3. Pass the Bottle Tax for School Construction

* City Council stalls on bottle tax for school construction - $10 million annually (can be leveraged for $155 million for school construction)

Write to Your U.S. Senator About the Importance of HUD’s Sustainable Communities Initiative

Cammie — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:08:44 +0000

Smart Growth America needs your help with protecting the Sustainable Communities Initiative (SCI), which has already achieved so much in its first two years of existence! The Senate is currently drafting the budget for FY2013 and the funding for the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s work is yet to be decided.

This initiative has helped communities become more economically viable and create jobs, as well as broaden housing and transportation options for millions of Americans. The Baltimore metro area, with the help of the Baltimore Regional Housing Campaign, recently received a Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant currently being used to fund “robust demonstration efforts in green and healthy housing, watershed protection, transit-oriented development” along with “stand alone workforce development and regional housing plans.”

Please join in supporting HUD’s Sustainable Communities Initiative. To do so, click here, enter your ZIP code, and a concise, editable letter will appear in support of SCI. It will be sent to Senator Mikulski, who is a key player in the appropriations process.

Community Alternatives to the Baltimore Development Corporation

Cammie — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:44:13 +0000

The Baltimore development policy reform group Another BDC is Possible wants a variety of voices to be heard at their Spring Development Forum. This Open Forum on “Community Alternatives to Baltimore’s Broken Model for Economic Development” is a reaction to a lack of response from the Baltimore Development Corporation‘s president, Jay Brodie, after Another BDC had an open meeting with the BDC last fall.

Help to make sure the desires of Baltimore’s neighborhoods have due influence on how Baltimore develops. Join Another BDC, and make space and time for your voice to be heard. Attend the community forum and “bring your ideas for the kinds of economic development you think your community needs.”

Spring Development Open Forum
Saturday, May 5, 2012
3pm
Meet on the Steps of the BDC Offices
36 S. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

This post is provided as an opportunity for citizen engagement and does not necessarily represent the mission of CPHA.

Taxpayers: Share Your Thoughts on FY2013 Budget

Aidan — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:15:39 +0000

Many grievances were aired at the Board of Estimates’ Taxpayers Night, held on April 11th. Issues with the FY2013 budget include concerns about fire safety, rec center closures, and much more.

Taxpayers have one more chance to make share thoughts with the City Council.

The City Council’s Taxpayers’ Night will be held on:

Wednesday, May 2nd
5pm
City Hall, Council Chamber (4th Floor)
100 N. Holiday Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

Don’t know much about the changes in the proposed document? Click here (PDF) to download a summary of the main spending cuts and increases being proposed.