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REGULAR MEETING February 25, 2019
<br /> National League of Cities Council Foundation. So,I say that because it gets to exactly the questions
<br /> you have. The process of that will start to address some of the questions you asked,which includes
<br /> this legislation I encourage you to adopt because we think it is good for every City who has done
<br /> it. But, some of the metrics you can look at are the average cost of the intervention to bring it up
<br /> to Code once they complete inspection. We track that, and it will allow you to, basically on an
<br /> asset and gap analysis, to know where you might need further support that either national
<br /> philanthropies or other investors offer to help support home owners and rental properties. So, that
<br /> is one (1) thing. Metrics to look at include housing stability. You will obviously be able to run
<br /> metrics on the number of Code calls to see if they decrease over time because you have done this.
<br /> So, that is cost savings and efficiency for government. You'll be able to look at hospital data and
<br /> data for your Medicaid managed care that will likely, if like other cities, will prove that you are
<br /> actually creating hard cash savings for the managed care system and State Medicaid system,which
<br /> puts you in place to actually have your hospital systems and managed care systems become
<br /> investors in the housing stock. We had a meeting about that today and they started to launch a
<br /> grant that a number of groups here in South Bend have received where we are providing technical
<br /> assistance to build that investment of health care. So, that is part of what you can look at and see
<br /> in this and the types of measurements,I think,open you up for a lot of opportunities for investment.
<br /> The other thing it will do is allow you to better align your housing resources you have, over time,
<br /> to better re-manage and repurpose those resources to spend them more effectively. It all starts with
<br /> what you are doing here. In every instance and in every case.Also,by being in the GHHI Network,
<br /> there is an automatic peer exchange with other cities working on similar issues,and those that have
<br /> been through this years ago. So, you have a lot of tiers to do that.
<br /> This being the time heretofore set for the Public Hearing on the above bill, proponents and
<br /> opponents were given an opportunity to be heard.
<br /> Andre Stoner, 628 Cushing Street, South Bend, IN, stated, I am a neighborhood networker for the
<br /> Near Northwest Neighborhood and also a part-time organizer for Faith in St. Joseph County.
<br /> Thank you to all those who worked so diligently on this and thanks to all those who had the stamina
<br /> to stay and show support. I know we had about thirty(30)people who had to leave but they signed
<br /> the sheet for support. Thank you for staying here more than three(3)and a half hours to show your
<br /> support. We have folks here from the Near Northwest Neighborhood, from La Casa de Amistad,
<br /> SOAR, the Lead Affinity Group, Faith in St. Joseph County and other community groups. This
<br /> legislation, I just want to briefly express a few points of reason for support. This will significantly
<br /> impact and improve the health and safety conditions for family members and neighbors who are
<br /> renters. We had one (1) individual here this evening who had to leave but he lives a stone throw
<br /> from our office. Friday, he showed me his home where he has no heat and no water. He has been
<br /> in conversation with Code. They've written reports,but this legislation will give Code the tools to
<br /> work on that situation. We have others who are here and are from our neighborhood, landlords,
<br /> who support this legislation because it will support them as they are trying to provide quality
<br /> housing for tenants. One (1) landlord wrote, and he owns several houses in our neighborhood,
<br /> markets,including real estate markets, function best when there are proper rules in place and there
<br /> is enforcement of those rules. This ordinance has been a long time coming. We've tried working
<br /> without a law of this kind. It is time for a different approach. Then, of course, there are many of
<br /> us in this room who have worked really diligently on issues of lead poisoning ever since we learned
<br /> that Census Tract Six (6), as well as other Census tracts, have unacceptable levels of childhood
<br /> lead poisoning. As a matter of fact, there have been about thirty(30) articles and eight (8)opinion
<br /> pieces over the last twenty-two (22) months reflecting some of the really hard work that many of
<br /> us had been doing on lead. Education, advocacy,increasing testing,research,working for changes
<br /> at the Health Department, grants that have been funded, all of that is really significant work that
<br /> has been done. In my opinion, this piece of legislation that you are considering now is probably
<br /> the most important thing that we have done to date on addressing issues of lead poisoning. We
<br /> know, for example, in the City of Rochester, which adopted a similar piece of legislation, over a
<br /> four (4) year period, levels of lead poisoning went down by fifty percent (50%). We heard the
<br /> words of Ruth Ann Norton who has experience and perspective, nationally. So, from the
<br /> perspective of tenants, landlords and children who are dealing with lead poisoning, we want to
<br /> express our strong support for this legislation, I believe this piece of legislation is one (1) piece,
<br /> only one (1), but important, piece in the puzzle for healthy, save and affordable housing. Other
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