Week 4 has come and gone quickly and here is another update on my time at Cultivate. This week I got to immerse myself with more community members in Columbus as I have attended a lot of community events. The one that is top of mind is the Housing for All event at Columbus State. Shayla Favors, Columbus City Council member and housing committee member was one of the speakers and organizers. The city has been making a more concerted effort to manage the housing crisis in Columbus. Columbus citizens, which include Milo residents, will have new rights when it comes to housing. The new policies are called “Renter’s Choice”, “Source of Income” and “Rental Receipt”. I am grateful that my time in the fellowship has given me the needed motivation and structure to be more involved with city government. I have learned some time ago how impactful local government can be. Citizens have a greater say when they show up to collaborate and demand changes in their local government. There is much more focus on federal policies that we have less control over. Now in Columbus, those who are unbanked and people who have housing paid for by a third party have new rights that are long overdue. These laws are beneficial to everyone, however. It is hard to believe that prior to 2022, landlords did not have to supply their tenants with receipts! This is just one example of the new changes in legislation. The city and fellow residents need to do more. One alarming statistic that I would like to share is that over 54,000 people here are paying 50% or more of their incomes on housing. This is not sustainable and Columbus is growing at such a rapid pace. Columbus needs to build at least 15,000 more homes a year to keep up with demand. As much as I left feeling optimistic, I am worried not only for my own housing stability but everyone else, especially those who are living on the street and in tents. One of the issues is literally not enough houses and apartments. Affordability is a whole other beast.

City wide news aside, I spent more time in Cultivate’s main green space with a colleague and youth. It is therapeutic and joyful to spend time outside in the grass and dirt. It is rewarding to see the literal “fruits of labor” growing from gardens. I am enjoying learning about the young girls who come to the garden and leadership program. Facilitating has been awkward, as it is something new to me, but I have learned these skills in school, from previous jobs, and fellow sessions. I hope I am planting a seed in these girls that empower them to help themselves and their neighbors and classmates. As we learned in our previous session when it comes to power, we all have personal power that can spread to everyone taking an active role in their own leadership.

I would also like to share some recent data by Cultivate to show everyone some of their impact on Milo residents. See the graphic below before some photos of people in the green space. One of my favorite things during this fellowship is assisting with home visits. I have done this kind of work before and I love it. Direct service is some of the most rewarding work I have ever done.