At our last general meeting we discussed that during this season of presents CHAI should take the opportunity to dare to dream. Below is the suggested wish list. Please take the next 12 hours to look at it make suggestions, correct grammar or wording etc. Because at 10 pm tonight (Dec. 14) the list becomes official, some fair trade Chai will be brewed and it will sit out waiting for Santa to pick it up.

CHAI's Holiday Wish List

The 1% solution where 1% of all public budgets be dedicated to housing

A 5 % tax increase to the top 20% to meet the social and economic needs of the community

A Guaranteed living income for everyone

Turn those frowns upside down, an end to NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) and the rise of YIMBY

Safe, unused land (private and public) within the City of Calgary be required, by the government, to be donated for the development of diverse housing options.

Land trust drive, people giving extra land just like there extra non-perishables

Bailiffs out of work, because Landlords and tenants are working together

A Government who

I didn't put An end to shelters and foodbanks on the list.

Do you want it on the list?

My edits are contained within IN CAPS OR IN DELETIONS AND COMMENTS

CHAI's Holiday Wish List

The 1% solution where A MINIMUM OF 1% of all public budgets be dedicated to AFFORDABLE housing (I THINK WE NEED TO FOCUS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING, NOT JUST ANY HOUSING, THAT GETS BUILT ANYWAYS AND MAKES PEOPLE A LOT OF MONEY)

A 5 % tax increase FOR the top 20% OF THE POPULATION to meet the social and economic needs of the WIDER community

A Guaranteed living income for everyone (ISN'T THIS WHAT WELFARE IS SUPPOSED TO BE? HOW WOULD THIS BE DIFFERENT? PERHAPS WORD IT DIFFERENTLY TO MAKE THIS CLEAR? IT ALSO NEEDS TO BE CLEAR HOW THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE PREVIOUS WISH.

Turn those frowns upside down, an end to NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) and the rise of YIMBY (YES IN MY BACKYARD).

Safe, unused land (private and public) within the City of Calgary be donated OR LEASED for the development of diverse AFFORDABLE housing options (I TOOK OUT REQUIRING THIS BY LAW BECAUSE A LOT OF LAND SITS UNUSED FOR GOOD REASONS, SO LET'S JUST LEAVE IT OPEN AS A WISH THAT IT BE DONATED.

Land trust drive, people giving extra land just like theIR extra non-perishables

Bailiffs out of work, because Landlords and tenants are working together

A Government who (???)

JENNIFER

[/quote]

Good suggestions, thank you.
The changes made to the land, including lease taking out by law, work well.
There has been a lot of discussion about the word affordable. I have to admit I tend to prefer diverse. I wonder if we can get some more feedback on this.

oh and that government one is supposed to read "a Government who works for the people" apparently I forgot to finish the sentence.

I know some people are turned off by the word affordable, but I think it also depends on what the context is. I think we need to be clear about what we want to create, which is not just more housing. Using "diverse" still does not address the issue of affordability directly. A lot of developers use the "term" diverse and this can be interpreted any number of ways, but not necessarily as including anything for lower income households. What I really want is a diverse range of affordable housing options, that is where I want the diversity to be. That would cover shelters to home ownership, cooperatives to non-profits, transitional to permanent.

I think part of my concern is that I don't believe there is one clear path to address the Housing Crisis. I think we need many solutions. I think that because I can not afford to buy in Calgary I am renting at a rate that someone else working could afford and they are occupying something that someon on assitance could afford etc. I think that increased co-operatives, co-housing, transitional housing, more apartments, more seniors independant living, more supportive living. All of it and at various price points in turn creates and frees up the housing market and I don't think that is addressed in saying affordable housing. I think affordable housing brings up, for many people a negative image of ghetto style subsidized housing. I think diverse talks about the many solutions approach.

hows this for a wimps way out. Can I say Diverse and affordable Housing solutions. or something like that?

Sure that sounds good to me!