Public housing comes to Mt. Lookout

[wilson1010]

CMHA ownership, tenant screening and control would improve the block on 50% of Cincinnati streets. Not so in Mt. Lookout. OK, true. But the baby momma drama and the trash in the yard and the starving dog chained to the porch in Mt. Lookout will be dealt with a whole lot differently than these things are dealt with in Price Hill.

If it happens on Mowbray Ave. it will last until sundown, maybe. Why, because people here take pride in their neighborhood. We don't have any crime, no trash on the streets or in the yards and we talk to our neighbors, even if they speak a different language. Its called quality of life, and it is experienced at a different level in different neighborhoods. No place in Cincinnati has a better quality of life than Mt. Lookout. It will be that way with or without CMHA.

[restorationconsultant]

Originally Posted by wilson1010

Mt. Lookout will be dealt with a whole lot differently than these things are dealt with in Price Hill.

If it happens on Mowbray Ave. it will last until sundown, maybe. Why, because people here take pride in their neighborhood. We don't have any crime, no trash on the streets or in the yards and we talk to our neighbors, even if they speak a different language. Its called quality of life, and it is experienced at a different level in different neighborhoods. No place in Cincinnati has a better quality of life than Mt. Lookout. It will be that way with or without CMHA.

I understand where you are coming from but I have to tell you that idealism goes out the window when property values decline. Price Hill was once home to the "well off", as was Westwood, they has that "quality of life'.

My own neighborhood in Fairmount was once the weekend and summer homes of the wealthy businessmen of downtown who wanted a place "in the country" on a hill to escape the grime of the city. Later those people moved on to Westwood and other points beyond. Our neighborhood, once the weekend homes of the rich, became a nice middle class neighborhood. After WW2 it became more working class, filled with hard working people who cared about their area and maintained their homes. Then came the public housing and then came the halfway houses and the section 8 and our neighborhood fell into total decline. Property values plummeted, crime soared and those who remained lived in fear, but they held on.

Only recently is the neighborhood coming back. The drug dealers are leaving, The section * slumlords" who are now expected to keep their property in good shape are leaving. We have our own neighborhood association "Knox Hill" to shake the stigma of being associated with "Fairmount" and the negative connotation that goes with it. Houses are being restored, young people are moving back in and "cars on blocks" are being replaced with Jaguars and Lexus. Older residents now feel safe enough to sit on their porch and plant flowers in their yards. But if I gave you my address there would be people on this board who would say I am living in a war zone, and parts of it still are, but its getting better everyday.

What I am saying is all neighborhoods go through cycles, with 20 yrs as a Historic Restoaration Consultant, who works in Urban Neighborhoods, I've seen it over and over in countless cities. I "understand" the predicament of Mt Lookout residents. Today its public housing, tommorrow its an apartment building accepting section 8, then somebody wants to put in a group home or nursing home.

I am sure the people who once lived in Price Hill when it was "the place" to live NEVER thought the neighborhood would go through the changes it has. It Is coming back but its a slow process. Few realize that Dayton Street in the West End was once called "Millionairs Row" and was the most exclusive, most expensive, area in Cincinnati, talk about "quality of Life' only the elite could afford to live there and allthough its coming back will it ever be "Millionairs Row" again? Maybe someday, but it is still years away.

My only advice is start down zoning everything in sight try to convince the apartment building owners to go condo. Get anything historic nominated and on the registry. Attach protective covenants to your house. Maybe take Westwoods approach and bulldoze every apartment building you can before CHMA gets a hold of it. Like it or not Public Housing is coming to Mt Lookout.

But you now have an "issue" you didnt before.

[hershntp]

That is exactly what will have to occur. Unless you bulldoze the apartments and try to register every house possible with the historical preservation society, your neighborhood is screwed. I live in Hyde Park and hope to god they have the courage and enough sense to protect the neighborhood from blight by doing this exact thing!

[camelot05]

Social Engineering at its best

[BornCincy]

I would like to point out that just because you don't have money doesn't mean you can't enjoy "Quality of Life." And just because someone doesn't have money like the more fortunate, doesn't mean they will have trash in their yards, starved dogs chained up and "baby mama drama." I agree that CMHA doesn't screen tenants the way they should, but it doesn't mean that all the people who need the service are trash. And the way some of you have implied that is ignorant. You have people moving in with less money than you..... If that's the worse of your problems, you should feel grateful.

[Hartwell Girl]

Originally Posted by wilson1010

CMHA ownership, tenant screening and control would improve the block on 50% of Cincinnati streets. Not so in Mt. Lookout. OK, true. But the baby momma drama and the trash in the yard and the starving dog chained to the porch in Mt. Lookout will be dealt with a whole lot differently than these things are dealt with in Price Hill.

If it happens on Mowbray Ave. it will last until sundown, maybe. Why, because people here take pride in their neighborhood. We don't have any crime, no trash on the streets or in the yards and we talk to our neighbors, even if they speak a different language. Its called quality of life, and it is experienced at a different level in different neighborhoods. No place in Cincinnati has a better quality of life than Mt. Lookout. It will be that way with or without CMHA.

Every community in Cincinnati has residents who work to have a good quailty of life in their neighborhoods. Mt. Lookout is no different and no better than any of those other 51 neighborhoods- lets get that settled now. The section 8 program is abused by some people and even more landlords-but getting those issues addressed by CMHA is like talking to yourself sometimes. And I also strongly agree that section 8 is not all bad, but it is those who abuse the program (persons & landlords) who ruin the views many have of the program.

[price hill will]

Originally Posted by wilson1010

CMHA ownership, tenant screening and control would improve the block on 50% of Cincinnati streets. Not so in Mt. Lookout. OK, true. But the baby momma drama and the trash in the yard and the starving dog chained to the porch in Mt. Lookout will be dealt with a whole lot differently than these things are dealt with in Price Hill.

If it happens on Mowbray Ave. it will last until sundown, maybe. Why, because people here take pride in their neighborhood. We don't have any crime, no trash on the streets or in the yards and we talk to our neighbors, even if they speak a different language. Its called quality of life, and it is experienced at a different level in different neighborhoods. No place in Cincinnati has a better quality of life than Mt. Lookout. It will be that way with or without CMHA.

As a block watch captain in Price Hill I'm very offended by some of these comments. I invite anyone interested to google the Price Hill Will website to discover the truth about residents pride in Price Hill.

[wilson1010]

Originally Posted by BornCincy

I agree that CMHA doesn't screen tenants the way they should, but it doesn't mean that all the people who need the service are trash.

I don't know who you are agreeing with. I said the opposite. I actually said (and meant) that CMHA screening and control woud improve 50% of the streets in Cincinnati. I meant it then and I mean it now.

And, I guess since you didn't read my post correctly, you missed the following altogether:

Originally Posted by wilson1010

We welcome to Mt. Lookout our less fortunate citizens who rely upon public funds to meet their housing needs. CMHA has strict standards for their tenants' conduct, and we expect that each of them will enjoy Mt. Lookout as those of us who pay our own way and respect the community the same as we do.

I'll be shocked if there is a problem of any kind.

[dlcom]

section 8 is not all bad! its discrimination to anyone who thinks so! I am on section 8 myself, I am not ghetto in any bit of the sense. I work 8am to 5pm as a program assistant, I am currently a full time student, I do have an associate of arts degree and a one year certificate to compliment that. I do have one daughter who is 8 years old and she attends a private school. Thing is that I do need the help right now and my number one goal is to get off of section8. I stay in cincinnati and the neighborhood I stay in is nice, the landlord met me and agreed to accept section 8 even though he has never accepted it before and he recently told me I was one of the best tenants he ever had. Point is not all people that are on section 8 are ghetto low lifes, some are actually trying to better their lives and just need the help right now, times are so hard right now. Most ghetto folks like to be around other ghetto folks so i doubt if the ghetto ones would want to move to mt. lookout. NO ONE SHOULD DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ANYONE WHO IS LESS FORTUNATE THAN THEY ARE

[restorationconsultant]

dlcom, you make and excellent point but we both know that you are the rare exception to the rule.

Mt Lookout will be the "hot ticket" for anyone on section 8. Who wouldn't want to live there? The people who think that CMHA is going to magically wave a wand and everything will be OK BECAUSE it is Mt Lookout are delusional. Didn't happen in Westwood wont be any different there.

However I do take exception to one thing you said about discrimination against those less fortunate, It is not discriminatory to expect people to behave like sane human beings, be respectful and clean up after themselves. Unfortunately the history of Section 8 has demonstrated it brings crime and decreased property values. I certainly believe everyone deserves a "hand up" in time of need but I personally do not believe that a section 8 voucher should be a birth to death entitlement which unfortunatly it is for the majority.