Although I haven’t had my name on a ballot before, the duties involved in learning about our city’s bureaucracy and responsibilities and consequences of leadership are not new to me. I’ve had the privilege of being able to utilize my doctorate in social work to work on issues that involve Raleigh as a whole, including my most recent work with the United Way of Triangle that resulted in a $1M community investment strategy. Additionally, my past projects improving community support and investment with Forward Cities gave me perspective on several varying city bureaucracies like Kansas City, Chicago, etc. and how to strategically utilize available resources, as opposed to levying new taxes.
As a long time resident of Raleigh, I’ve focused on finding ways to utilize my power as a citizen to help others in need. And if there’s one thing I learned, you certainly don’t need to be in the government to help others. Sometimes it’s just organizing a trash pickup around the city, or volunteering at local non-profits.
At this point, I’m not sure if ‘affordable’ is a word I would use to describe housing here in Raleigh. That would insinuate that housing is presently affordable in Raleigh as a whole. Instead of utilizing subsidies to keep people in homeless shelters, we should examine research that has been demonstrated as effective. Prioritizing strategic housing assistance addresses the root of the problem, being little to no access to transitional and longterm housing solutions. Yes, we need to get someone in need into shelter, and we also should ensure it’s something a person can work to keep themselves.
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