GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — The City of Green Bay is looking at new ways to ensure every resident has equal access to affordable housing.
Green Bay's Equal Rights Commission recently approved a report addressing affordable and equal housing in the city.
The commission is recommending short, intermediate, and long-term solutions to the city.
Short-term solutions include expanding programs such as offering support in more languages, and investing into housing investigation resources.
Intermediate solutions would be creating a program ensuring fair relationships between landlords and tenants, and doubling down at zoning reform.
A long-term solution includes passing an ordinance requiring developers to prioritize affordable housing in any new development.
Equal Rights Commission Vice Chair Jon Shelton says affordable housing is a barrier to equality in the city, so addressing the problem is a big focus for the commission.
He says the commission wanted to approve the report on the day we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"He focused a lot of his activism on housing," Shelton said. "So, we felt like let's make a goal of getting this out there on MLK Day in 2023 so that we could sort of really make an impact in the community, and be sort of a modest tribute to him."
The next step is for the Common Council to take a look at the recommendations at its next meeting on Feb. 7.
