ACORN, a new HIC member, is winning victories that bring safe and affordable housing to their communities. Below are some recent highlights. Please visit www.acorn.org to learn more and support their work.
Dedication of two new homes signals rebirth of New Orleans ‘ Lower 9th Ward
On Feb. 22, longtime Lower 9th Ward residents Josephine Butler and Gwendolyn Guice will get the keys to the first new homes built in the Lower 9th Ward since Hurricane Katrina. Congressman William Jefferson and other dignitaries will attend a dedication ceremony hosted by ACORN community members and representatives of a unique group of partners who worked together to build the homes on Delery Street . The partners include ACORN, ACORN Housing, Countrywide Bank, Fannie Mae, and Louisiana State University . "The 9th Ward is coming back," said Vanessa Guerringer, chairwoman of ACORN’s Lower 9th Ward chapter. "This project will put hope in the hearts of so many who have faced so many hopeless situations."
NY ACORN fights to protect affordable apartment complex that houses 12,000
More than 1,000 people attended a New York ACORN rally at a church near Brooklyn’s
The real estate company Clipper Equity LLC has offered to buy the complex for $1.3 billion. However, the deal isn’t final. New York ACORN and elected officials including New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo are concerned about the owner of Clipper Equity’s dismal track record managing other properties and have committed to help fight the sale. ACORN members say they will fight to keep
On Feb. 8, Philadelphia ACORN members gathered outside the construction site of 44-story Residences at the Ritz tower near City Hall to call attention for the need for more affordable housing in city-sponsored development. “We’re here today because this is one of the many symbols of these extraordinarily luxurious condo complexes in which everyone gets 10-year tax breaks,” ACORN member Neil Herrmann said. “Yet we continue to see minimal investments in all the communities in
FEMA housing aid restored for more than 1,000 families
After winning continued housing assistance for more than 1,000 families dislocated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, ACORN has ended a lawsuit filed against FEMA last August. ACORN sued FEMA on behalf of hurricane evacuees in the section 403 program for terminating benefits without providing a meaningful explanation or chance to appeal. Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid and Public Citizen represented ACORN and helped families challenge unfair denials of benefits.
"Judge Leon’s emergency orders forced FEMA to do what we demanded — tell survivors of Hurricane Katrina why they had been cut off from aid so they had a reasonable chance to appeal and keep a roof over their heads while they work to rebuild," said ACORN President Maude Hurd.
ACORN Katrina Survivors Association chapters also campaigned successfully to have FEMA extend post-Katrina housing aid at the end of January. ACORN is still asking Congress and the Bush administration to amend FEMA rules to allow 18 months of additional assistance for Hurricane Katrina survivors.
Wins for ACORN communities
Last year, Minnesota ACORN brought together low and moderate income homeowners in
City of
Madison ACORN recently celebrated the 20-0 passage of a city resolution which will allow tenants dislocated from their apartments because of code-abatement issues to move into nine city-owned apartment buildings in their neighborhood. The city recently purchased the buildings and cracked down on landlords as part of redevelopment plan for the Allied Drive area. After ACORN members testified on Feb.
Toronto ACORN tenant groups have won badly-needed repairs in several large