"The units will be indistinguishable," Wolfe-Bertling said. "So whether you're living next to another market-rate tenant, or affordable-rate, or public-housing tenant, unless they inform you of that fact, there'll be no way to know that."
hoboitch: Explain to me how this is REVITALIZATION.
Amazing! So much for doing away with the concentration of low-income families in a single area.
While the JP homes were not luxurious, they were better than many current properties for rent in Covington and surrounding areas. These buildings were built as solidly as any. Now, they are gone, and Covington, especially Mr. Wolfe-Bertling, sees a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
JohnLAT41015:not trying to be rude. honest. i guess this housing concept was thoroughly researched, but why would someone who could pay full price live somewhere where others don't? what would their reward be for living with others who don't have as much invested in their living area? maybe i'm just dense.
Ya think!?
gitsinshiggles:safe sanitary and clean housing for over 70 years?? OMG ROTFLMAO!! I remember in the 1980s and 90 when Cov Police refused to go there becuase they were too afraid after one of Covington's Finest got their cruier turned over by a gang of dope dealers! This place should have been bulldozed long ago and make way for high scale urban housing
Within weeks, construction on streets, sewers, electrical lines and other development is to begin, with work on more beautiful housing units in a greener setting to start during the first quarter of 2012, Wolfe-Bertling said.
The $20.8 million project will have 120 new units, about 1/3 of them renting at "market rates" - basically about the same as someone would pay for similar units in Northern Kentucky. For those there will be no income restrictions. Another 1/3 will rent for "affordable" rates, to families earning 60 percent or less of the area's median income. The rest will rent at "public housing" rates, to those families earning 30 percent or less of median income.
"The development will all be rentals," Wolfe-Bertling said.
Among the 120 units will be eight single-story, handicap-accessible "senior cottages" that will be available to senior citizens who used to live in the neighborhood who wanted to be "part of the apartment community, yet separate," Wolfe-Bertling said. Those homes will be close to Greenup Street, so residents will be close to bus lines.
YES! I Am…
...R U 1 2 ??
Michael Wallace Connett
The HIVe @ Seminary Square
JUNE 5, 2011
Greetings!
This October, in the 30th year of this grotesque calamity, marks the 20th year of my personal Journey through AIDS. More than 20 years and 20 million deaths since the first AIDS diagnosis in 1981, almost 38 million people (range 34.6 – 42.3 million) are living with HIV. AIDS is an extraordinary kind of crisis; it is both an emergency and a long-term development issue. Despite increased funding, political commitment and progress in expanding access to HIV treatment, the AIDS epidemic continues to outpace our response. No segment of humanity has been spared. The epidemic remains extremely dynamic, growing and changing character as the virus exploits new opportunities for transmission. This last year was our worst year ever, with 5 Million New HIV Infections (Prevention failures) and 3 Million Deaths (Treatment failures). As AIDS Quilt founder Cleve Jones said in 2001; “Our hearts may be filled, but there are only two emotions worth expressing at this perilous time: GRIEF and RAGE. Grief for the millions who have died and are dying. Rage at the indifference, greed, and stupidity that permit this grotesque calamity to continue.”
Indifference, greed and stupidity are also the three major ingredients in the American recipe for what has come to be known as AIDS Complacency. A Cultural phenomena against which every major player in the fight against it has warned us continually for as long as I can remember. Indifference which is rooted in the arrogance that it can’t happen to us, only “the right people”; mainly gays. Greed fueled by the profits, jobs and paychecks from the new industry and bureaucracy it spawned. Stupidity that feeds the intolerance, discrimination, stigmatization and demonization that prevents us from using every means available to prevent future infections as well as diagnose, treat and care for those who already have been.
“We need leaders everywhere to demonstrate that speaking up about AIDS is a point of pride, not a source of shame.
There must be no more sticking heads in the sand, no more embarrassment, no more hiding behind a veil of apathy. Leadership means respecting and upholding the human rights of all who are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS…”
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
2004 International AIDS Conference Opening Address
Michael W. Connett, Grantor/Trustee
%The Michael W Connett LIVING Trust
315 W 7th Street - Suite #2 * Covington, KY 41011 -1391
mconnett@fuse.net * 859-261-4481
Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.- Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi
New Rights for
Tenants and Landlords
Uniform Residential Landlord – Tenant Act
K.R.S. 383.500 – 383.715
Do you know a bad Landlord (i.e.: A Landlord who doesn't give a damn about the Housing Quality Standards, the behavior of tenants, the maintenance/appearance of the properties or anything else BUT their financial bottom line.)?? Either through personal experience as a tenant or resident of a neighborhood one owns property in, or through word-of-mouth?? CHANCES ARE, YOU DO!! Especially if you or someone you know are on a low, fixed income and qualify for a HUD/Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher. Unfortunately, due to the problems inherent in those programs, bad landlords continue to thrive in the system and prey on its participants; The Majority of which (57% according to the HUD web site) are either Senior Citizens or the Disabled. Having been exposed to such individuals in the past; I have decided to combat this problem and advocate for tenants rights through my web presence and Home Page. Let me hear from you about your experiences. Hopefully, together, we can do something to at least bring some attention to this problem, if not actually achieve solutions.
"In the great majority of cases, a landlords decision to not rent through the Section 8 program is nothing more than subtle but effective discrimination against a perceived class of tenants!"
On the other Hand; there are those landlords who do rent through Section 8 and do so with only with their lowest-cst cost and lowest-quality units and indifference to exploiting desperate, vulnerable people for their own gain!!!
Myths & Misconceptions
Just what are those damn, pesky HQS's (Housing Quality Standards)??? As best I can determine, there are no basic differences between HUD's and Covington's minimum requirements for HQS. But it is only when a unit is made available through a HUD Voucher, is it held to any accountability to those standards. Aren't all residential renters entitled to that same minimum protection and safeguard???
PROPOSAL
Originally authored April 1997
To: Covington City Commission
Covington Housing Department
Covington/Kenton Co. Housing Authority
No. Ky. Housing Coalition
No. Ky. Legal Aid Society
URLTA Participating Cities
From: Michael W. Connett,
Concerned Citizen & Renter
Coordinator, Central Lewisburg Neighborhood Watch
Member, Lewisburg Neighborhood Association
RE: The Slumlord Eradication Act - An Addendum to the Uniform Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (KRS 383.500 - 383.715)
Authors note: While the focus of this proposal is aimed at and speaks to conditions in Covingtons residential rental property market; it is equally relevant to all cities, as well as agencies concerned, with residential rental property. For this reason, it is being widely distributed for your thoughtful consideration.
In the wake of the hoopla of the recent Covington Housing Fair - where the city attempted to put its best foot forward in an effort to convince people that it's a great place to live - it is imperative that I bring to light a major obstacle to an aspect of this effort that currently exists.
As 1 understand it; from the city's Housing Development Department, not only was the focus on home ownership but also on increasing the occupancy of the numerous residential rental units in the city. In Covington - as in most cities, renting residential property is a Business which requires a license. Unfortunately, all too often it is a business in which "the customer" is treated with little respect, much indifference and is seldom, if ever, right. This is especially true amongst low-income and uneducated tenants and the slum lords that prey on them. From my own recent experience with one of the city's slum lords, I learned that for tenants there is virtually no protection, warning, regulation or discipline against the unfair actions of such deceitful persons.
In the late 80's; a coalition of agencies which included the Legal Aid Society among others and was known as the Ky. Housing Coalition, established the Uniform Residential Landlord-Tenant Act (URLTA) which was adopted by Covington and many other No. Ky. Cities. While that was a commendable attempt to end years of confusion and give both landlords and tenants equal standing in the eyes of the law; it would seem that once the act was established, adopted and a handbook published, the effort died and withered away. People - especially tenants - are not being made aware that these rights and the accompanying handbook exist. The slumlords know this and use this lack of awareness against their tenants to their own greedy advantage. As that particular handbook states: "... The law only works for people who understand how to use it. Tenants and landlords have to know enough to make sure (and, when needed, demand) that their rights are respected."
But before people can understand the law and how to use it, they must be made aware that it exists. The current promotion of URLTA and the availability Of, as well as access to, its handbook is severely lacking and needs to be improved significantly. As an example: I know that in the Housing Department office, these handbooks are stacked on a shelf under the counter out of sight rather than being on the counter in an accessible display rack. Every residential renter needs to be made aware of URLTA's existence and be provided broad access to FREE copies of its handbook. Likewise; in addition to being required to have a license, every landlord should be required to have read and understand the URLTA handbook.
There are other weaknesses of URLTA that need to be addressed. If a conscientious landlord operates in a professional manner and takes the time and care to check references, he can usually avoid the tenants from hell. Tenants don't have the same ability to weed out the slumlords. There needs to be a way to compile an accessible, public history of housing code violations, complaints and court actions against landlords that prospective tenants can check before they sign a lease. A 'Better Business Bureau' for the residential rental property industry, if you will. There also needs to be a stronger solution to Security Deposit disputes. Currently, if a landlord tries to unfairly withhold a security deposit, the tenants only recourse is to sacrifice more of their hard earned money and file in small claims court. To make matters worse, Legal Aid won't even discuss or help with deposit disputes farther than telling you to go to small claims. Once a tenant receives a favorable judgment for the refund of their security deposit, they are left on their own to try and get the money. Should a slumlord try to ignore or drag out the payment of the judgment, there needs to be a way to help force payment as well as punish his actions.In an attempt to address these issues I would like to put forth the following proposal for your consideration. Please bear in mind that I am neither a politician or lawyer and this is a basic rough idea written in plain English.
THE SLUMLORD ERADICATION ACT
An Addendum to the Uniform Residential Landlord-Tenant Act
I. All landlords should be required to make their tenants aware of both their rights as defined by URLTA and furnish them with a copy of the handbook.
2. There should be a designated. agency, in either each participating URLTA city or the No. Ky. Area as a whole, that will compile a record of all such transgressions as may be reported on each landlord. In addition to individual tenant complaints, all appropriate agencies and courts should be made responsible for forwarding such information to the designated agency for inclusion in the landlords file. These files would be maintained by the agency as a matter of public record and be open to inspection by prospective tenants.
3. If a tenant, through a court action (small claims or otherwise), receives a judgment against a landlord and the landlord drags out or refuses to satisfy that judgment, the tenant should have available the remedy of petitioning the appropriate city government for the revocation of the landlords rental/business license.
4. If a landlord; by evidence of complaints, housing code violations or court actions, establishes a consistent pattern of unfair, deceitful or unlawful practices whether against tenants or in violation of city ordinances, the appropriate city government should have the right to revoke the landlords rental/business license and/or levy a substantial fine.
5. (Added 06/14/2001) That the following ordinance passed by the Dayton, Kentucky City Council be adopted and passed by the Covington, Kentucky City Commission at its earliest convenience:
Dayton, Kentucky - Building Regulations 150.80RENTAL UNITS, ANNUAL INSPECTIONFINDINGS:
- A substantial number of citizens reside in rental dwelling units which are substandard and are detrimental to the safety, health and welfare of the persons living there as well as to neighboring properties, both attached and unattached;
Bumped into River City News Pro MMonks as I caught the Buzzz on The RiverCenter Plaza; Nice seein' y'all! Thought the RiverCenter Cut-Ups turned out alright! The neighborly couple sans scooper paraphernaila was a Bonus, LOL...
IMHO; We need to have an OCGA - OUTREACH Covington General Assembly
We need to all realize and agree that if We don't know how to live With Each other, We're all gonna perish together! Maybe I'll bump into y'all @ WhineFest! I'll have free Condoms & Literature from NoKy HIV/AIDS Care Coordinators...
IMHO; We need to have an OCGA - OUTREACH Covington General Assembly
We need to all realize and agree that if We don't know how to live With Each other, We're all gonna perish together! Maybe I'll bump into y'all @ WhineFest! I'll have free Condoms & Literature from NoKy HIV/AIDS Care Coordinators...
Mr. LUCAS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the city of Newport, Kentucky, where the World Peace Bell arrived at its permanent home this weekend. At 12 feet in diameter and 12 feet in height, the bell weighs 66,000 pounds. It is the world's largest swinging bell. I also rise to recognize Wayne Carlisle for his vision, commitment, and enthusiasm, without which the World Peace Bell would not have been possible.
The World Peace Bell is a powerful symbol of freedom and peace. It was cast in Nantes, France, on December 11, 1998, the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Bell has an inscription commemorating that document, as well as engravings marking the most important events of the past 1,000 years.
The World Peace Bell was first rung in Nantes on March 20, 1999, in a public ceremony, and it began a month-and-a-half-long sea voyage from France to New Orleans, where the Bell was made part of that city's July Fourth celebration. The Bell was transported by barge up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, making stops in 14 cities along the way. The Bell arrived at its final destination on August 1st.
The World Peace Bell will officially open on September 21, 1999, the International Day of Peace, when it will toll to observe the opening session of this year's United Nations General Assembly. On New Year's Eve 1999, the Bell will be rung once every hour and broadcast so that people in every time zone around the globe will hear the new millennium rung in by our World Peace Bell. This celebration will include leaders of church and state from around the world, as well as participants performing native rituals and wearing traditional costumes.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the city of Newport and neighboring river cities on their successful revitalization efforts. The World Peace Bell is only one of a number of projects coming to fruition in the region. The success of these efforts is a testament to the spirit and hard work of the people of Northern Kentucky.
 | This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105). |  |
World AIDS Day is celebrated on December 1 each year around the world. It has become one of the most recognised international health days and a key opportunity to raise awareness, commemorate those who have passed on, and celebrate victories such as increased access to treatment and prevention services. UNAIDS took the lead on World AIDS Day campaigning from its creation until 2004. From 2004 onwards the World AIDS Campaign's Global Steering Committee began selecting a theme for World AIDS Day in consultation with civil society, organisations and government agencies involved in the AIDS response.
Themes run for one or two years and are not just specific to World AIDS Day. Campaigning slogans such as 'Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise' have been used year round to hold governments accountable for their HIV and AIDS related commitments.
More on World AIDS Day
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