Sacramento announces funding to help out homeowners near Aggie Square
SACRAMENTO -- Tamika L'ecluse never stopped battling.
"We are going to hold our elected [offical]'s accountable and we hope that they can do what they run on, which is to serve the people in their communities," said L'Ecluse, one of the leaders of Sacramento Investment Without Displacement."It has the potential to be a model if the city does it right."
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg is calling a new set of funding — $10 million — that effectively goes toward slowing or halting gentrification in the area around the developing Aggie Square project, a landmark achievement and example of city and community collaboration.
"Growth is good if we are conscious of the risks of gentrification and of pricing people out of the communities that they've lived in for a long time," Mayor Steinberg said during a Friday morning ceremony celebrating the funding round.
This is part of a broader plan to develop the Stockton Boulevard corridor without displacing those who already live there. Community advocates say gentrification has already claimed several areas in the city and they want to see responsible development without pricing people out of neighborhoods they grew up in. Sacramento Investment Without Displacement is asking for a legally binding citywide agreement that will require developers to consider the communities they are investing in.
"We want to ensure that we are preventing displacement and gentrification before it happens," L'Ecluse explained.
The funding will come from different groups, including Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army, and do everything from housing repairs to one-time financial assistance or one-time housing stability assistance (helping renters find a home). There is also a first time homebuyer program as well as job priorities for those in the area as the development builds out.
"It requires for example that 20 percent of all new jobs at aggie square be held for people living within the adjoining communities," said Mayor Steinberg.
There have been several contentious moments in the Aggie Square saga, from lawsuits to dialogues between community groups and the city government, but there are still concerns about what happens now. Mayor Steinberg said that there is incentive for this program to succeed.
"Success makes it much more likely that we'll be able to get more money," he said.
As L'Ecluse and her community advocates say that they will continue to be vocal with city officials to make sure that the benefits promised to residents in the area actually make it to residents.
"Success makes it much more likely that we'll be able to get more money," L'Ecluse concluded.