Letter from Rabbi Yoni regarding Strong Support for Councillor Simmons POR 2023 #102

1 Taylor, Bernice From: Rabbi Yoni Central Square Tenants <[email removed]> Sent: Monday, June 5, 2023 1:00 PM To: City Council; City Clerk Cc: Rabbi Yoni Central Square Tenants Subject: Strong Support for Councillor Simmons POR 2023 #102 Subject: Strong Support for Councillor Simmons POR 2023 #102 Dear City Councillor Simmons, City Council, I strongly support increasing the Affordable Housing Trust budget as you suggest. There seems to be consensus within the Council that purchasing land to build affordable housing is an excellent long-term approach to making affordable housing available in Cambridge. This is a really huge priority because if we cannot afford to live in Cambridge, the remainder of the budget does not really matter. I understand and accept that providing for the basic needs of our community may come at the expense of providing other services that rely upon people having stable long-term places to live. That the City Manager is requested to increase the Affordable Housing Trust budget in FY24 by 7.1% to equal the increase of the overall city budget, increase the Affordable Housing Trust budget by $20 million through a free cash appropriation, outside of the FY24 budget, and engage in creating a 3-year plan to increase the Affordable Housing Trust budget to 10% of the overall City budget. POLICY ORDER FROM FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT MAY 16, 2023 AND MAY 18, 2023 Councillor Simmons POR 2023 #102 Rabbi Yoni