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Interfaith Group To Press Newberry For Housing Money

By Alan Lytle - Alex Risen

Lexington, KY – A group advocating for more affordable housing for Lexington's poor says almost 9-thousand households in Fayette County use half their income to pay rent. The organization, BUILD, which stands for Building a United Interfaith Lexington through Direct-Action, is calling on Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry to establish an Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The money would be used to construct some 360 housing-units every year. Pastor Ron Luckey of Lexington's Faith Lutheran Church is a co-chair of BUILD.

"It is a serious issue and it's a major issue and one of the problems is that people in this particular situation don't have a voice because they're spending their day just trying to survive and we mean to be a voice for them."

Mayor Newberry has said he does not see community support for the trust fund. He points to Lexington's already tight budget, which could be up to 27 million dollars in the red by 2010. BUILD will press for a firm commitment for the project at a city-wide meeting, tonight at Immanuel Baptist Church. A representative from Mayor Newberry's office is also expected to attend.