City Council Voted “Yes” Tuesday April 2
Thank you Omni folks for your support!
Wed, Apr 3 2024 at 8:55 AM
Dear Housing Action Community,
This is Billy with Arkansas Renters United, and I have the pleasure of delivering some fantastic news for you all! Last night, the Fayetteville City Council voted UNANIMOUSLY to pass our resolution to declare a housing crisis. The counter-resolution first proposed by Council member Mike Wiederkehr was tabled indefinitely and will never be considered again. We should all take this moment to celebrate the power of community organizing to make change happen. While this resolution passing is only the tip of the iceberg for getting our crisis under control, it is a major step toward setting the tone for how the city responds. Over 30 people showed up on March 19th to use public comment and demand that a crisis be declared, and 13 people used public comment last night to urge the council to vote yes.
This resolution officially declares a housing crisis in the city of Fayetteville, declares housing a human right, and calls for a special task force to be assembled by around the end of June. This task force will go over policies and review what can be changed to make it easier for folks to find affordable housing in our city. The task force will be made up of ordinary citizens and experts on housing that will then provide recommendations to the city council on how to move forward. For now, we rest, but the fight is not over! We now must hold our city accountable in taking these steps to address the crisis, and we must keep up the pressure. This group should meet again soon to talk about what that looks like.
This is a moment that belongs to all of us. A TREMENDOUS thank you to everyone who showed up week after week to use their voice and share their stories. To talk about financial and personal struggles is taboo in our society, but it is so important for people to know they are not alone. Another thank you is owed to our partner orgs that make up this housing coalition. Groups like New Beginnings, Circles NWA, and others got their people involved and energized. Thank you! Lastly, and certainly not least, it’s important to thank the volunteer graphic designers and translators that were able to get flyers created, printed, and distributed to the public. Our volunteers put up information all over the city about this housing resolution, and we got over 1,500 people to sign a petition because of that. We are all living proof that people power is still a thing, and together there’s nothing we can’t accomplish!
In Community, Billy Cook