Comments on CityKin: Some Metropole Residents

Thank you for posting this. Cincinnati, in its des...

2009-12-22T09:54:52.155-05:00

Thank you for posting this. Cincinnati, in its desire to elevate its status, has resorted to the sort of gentrification that treats many people like so much detritus to be swept out of the way. While some degree of displacement is probably inevitable (and I've not lived in Cincinnati for a long while so I cannot opine on the Metropole development in particular) it's at least important to acknowledge that many people, regardless of their income level or ownership status, feel a bonding with their homes and the communities they have established around where they live.

I'm sorry that they are losing their homes, bu...

2009-12-16T23:20:25.260-05:00

I'm sorry that they are losing their homes, but here's how I see it.

- The living conditions in the building are terrible. I've talked to someone who has toured the building himself, and he described to me the tiny bedrooms, filthy shared bathrooms, and crime taking place in the hallways, including prostitution and drug sales. The residents deserve better.

- They are renters, and they have no stake in the building. I am a renter, too, and if my landlord came to me and said that my building was no longer for lease, I'd have no choice but to move. Same situation here. It's not discrimination against the current residents, it's just how the chips fall.

- They will be given relocation assistance and vouchers, which is more than what's required by law. If I were to be kicked out of my rental unit, I would receive none of this help.

I hope that these residents can be relocated somewhere else in the downtown or OTR area that will be as convenient for their particular needs and not cost them any more in rent.

Single poor people often prefer small places with ...

2009-12-16T10:26:22.102-05:00

Single poor people often prefer small places with utilites and some furnishing included. These types of places are critical to center cities IMO and no one is building such places. In fact they are removing the few left. Many people on the edge of homelessness are more successful in such places instead of bigger, unfurnished places.

Its not all about finances. The value of home, pla...

2009-12-16T08:49:29.424-05:00

Its not all about finances. The value of home, place, proximity and experience often trump size and year built.

A better deal than market rate sounds great to someone who can afford market rate.

JFV

I don't buy their arguments at all. They are ...

2009-12-16T06:38:58.461-05:00

I don't buy their arguments at all. They are being offered vouchers to relocate anywhere they please, money for relocation costs, and an entire year to find a new place. Plus, the new units available to them throughout the city are larger and newer than the current run down metropole apartments. That's a better deal than any market rate apartment dweller could ever dream of.
3CDC is going way beyond what's expected of them in relocating section 8 residents.