Churches United in Ministry

The Gabriel Project is currently collecting personal stories about the difficulty in acquiring dental care. These stories will be used in order to evidence the
need for policy change. We are also urging people to suggest to their dentists that they volunteer at LSC. If anybody has a story to share or if you feel like
you can help out in any way please contact us!
The Gabriel Project
Steve O'Neil, Veronica Gaidelis-Langer, Kim Crawford, Phoebe Smith & Ben Small
Phone: 625-1739
Email: gabriel@chumduluth.org .

Duluth Housing 1000

Leaders of Duluth's Affordable Housing Coalition (AHC), a network representing over 25 housing
and housing-related organizations have called for the implementation of a plan to add at least
1,000 new units to the city's housing stock by 2010.

Low vacancy rates, aging housing stock, a rising student population, and significantly high
home & rental costs are the primary evidence that illustrate Duluth's housing need.

The AHC feels that the construction of 1000 new units, across all price ranges, will work to create a healthier housing market in Duluth.
-- Of these 1000 units, the AHC is calling for at least 33% to be affordable units.
-- The added units would include both for sale, owner-occupied and rental properties.
-- Rather than creating project-by-project affordability goals, it was agreed that the 33% affordability ratio would apply on a citywide, comprehensive basis.

The AHC has petitioned and received signatures of support from the new mayor, and every sitting and incoming city council members, save for one.

A statement and clarification of the Affordable Housing Coalition's 2010 housing goal:

The Affordable Housing Coalition (AHC), a network representing over 25 housing and housing-related organizations operating in the Duluth area, has called
for a plan to add at least 1,000 new units to the city's housing stock by 2010. This plan has been created in order to ameliorate a number of housing
problems in Duluth:

1. Low vacancy rates- In September of 2002, rental vacancy rate sat at approximately 2.6%. A healthy rental market is generally at 5% vacancy (p. 53).

2. Critical housing needs- About 41.5% of Duluth renters spend over 30% of their income on rent (p. 97). And of that proportion, 46% put over half of their
income toward rent. Moreover, 1 out of every 4 households is spending over 30% of their income for housing (p. 98).

3. Aging Housing Stock- In Duluth, 48.4% units in housing structures are over 60 years old (p. 36). According to Housing and Urban Development (HUD),
the average life span of a house is 40 to 50 years, without significant maintenance.

With these particular problems in mind, the AHC developed a goal of adding 1,000 new units. This number was reached as follows:
-- Renter Households Paying over 50% of income for housing -- 2,439
-- Estimated Reduction -- 1,459
-- Estimated Critical Housing Need -- 980 units

The number 980 was rounded up. Of these 1,000 units, the AHC is lobbying that 33% be affordable. Affordable being defined as households earning 80% or
less of the local median income, who spend less than 30% of their income on rent.
Annual Income. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mo. House Payment/Rent. . . .Est. House Price
Median Family Income $52,100. . . . . . . . . . . . $1,302. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$166,720
Low Income (80% of Median) $41,680. . . . . . . .$1,042. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$133,376
Very Low Income (50% of Median) $26,050. . . .$652. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..$83,456

Of these affordable units, 60% should be made affordable to those who make between 50% and 80% of the local median income. The remaining 40%
percent would be affordable to those making less than 50% of the median income.
Median Income. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Proposed Number of New Units
50%-80% ($26,000-$41,680). . . . 200
30%-49% ($15,630-$25,999). . . . 130
> Total of 330 new affordable units <

The AHC goal is one that will have positive externalities for the city. It will not only help to solve the problems previously outlined, but also work to create a
housing stock capable of supporting growth. This plan will help to supply the work force with good housing that is essential to economic and social gains for
the community.

DULUTH YIMBY NETWORK: YES IN MY BACKYARD

YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) was started to counteract the opposition toward the creation of housing in various neighborhoods. We want to build a
community of folks that want to see Duluth grow. If you support the creation of housing and want to see more families being able to live in a home that they
can afford, please sign our petition. You can also print out our petition and pass it around your own neighborhood or circle of friends.

CLICK HERE to download a copy of the petition.

Questions call: Kim Crawford or Ben Small at 625-1739; 102 West Second Street; Duluth, MN 55802

The Gabriel Project

The Gabriel Project began in 2001 as a collaboration between CHUM and seven Hillside
congregations: First Lutheran, Gloria Dei, Peace United Church of Christ, St. Mark's A.M.E, Temple
Israel, and Trinity Lutheran. It has since developed into a comprehensive program of congregational
and community organizing and advocacy that is open to all of CHUM's 38 congregations.

Our overall goals are simple: 1.) To help support families living in the Hillside and Lincoln Park, and
2.) To organize for social and economic justice in our entire community.

We do this by providing discretionary funds to meet the financial requests from neighborhood
residents, by creating opportunities for congregations to be in direct relationship with the
neighborhood, and by organizing neighborhood residents to strengthen relationships.

The Gabriel Project is named after the angel Gabriel, who appeared before Mary in her seventh week
of pregnancy and brought her words of comfort: "Do not be afraid…" (Luke 1:30)

Dental Access Campaign

The Gabriel Project has teamed with Community Action-Duluth on a campaign aiming to increase
dental care access to individuals on state sponsored insurance policies or medical assistance. The
particular goals of the campaign at this time are:

1) Expand the capacity of the Lake Superior College Community Dental Clinic. Currently, the clinic
is only opened two days a month and voluntarily staffed by local dentists and hygienists. The
waiting list is growing and the number of dentists volunteering is shrinking. In order to meet demand,
volunteer recruitment needs to expand as well as the amount of time the clinic is able to be open.

2) Affect public policy. Dentists receive substantially lower payments from patients on medical
assistance or state programs than people on private insurance plans. Since dentists are required to
serve only a small percentage of this underinsured population (around 12%), there is a huge
population being denied dental care. Policy has to change at the state level, either by increasing
compensation, requiring licensed dentists to treat these individuals, or expanding the role of dental
assistants.

3) Search out possibilities of creating another community clinic. There are models to follow in the
state concerning the creation of community dental clinics, these will be looked into.

A steering committee has been assembled consisting of local dental professionals. Moreover, a
letter and questionnaire has been sent to every dental office in the city detailing the goals of the
campaign and urging offices to volunteer at Lake Superior College. The information received from the
questionnaire showed that dental offices are turning away anywhere from 15 to 40 underinsured
people a week.