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Dear Tracy Tomas, <br />I am a resident of St. Anthony Village. I live at 2926 Armour Terrace. I and am writing to voice my concern <br />and lack of support for development of Lowry Grove without proper provisions to fully replace the level of <br />affordable housing that currently exists. <br />St Anthony Village has some of the highest property values in our area of the city proper and I am privileged to <br />live in a first tier suburb with great amenities so close to Minneapolis. However, the life of comfort I now live is <br />a far cry from how I was raised. I grew up in trailer parks, raised by a single mother who spent her entire life <br />simply trying to make ends meet. Somehow, she avoided public assistance. Somehow, she and my three sisters <br />and I were never on food stamps. If, however, at any time in my childhood we had been evicted from our trailer <br />home, which was all we could afford, we would have been homeless. Had that happened, I’m certain the many <br />options afforded me later in life would have been out of reach. A stable, affordable home is what keeps poor <br />families together. A stable, affordable home is what nurtures even the poorest of us to go on to college, to live <br />lives better than those of our parents and grandparents. <br />I have heard the testimonies of the families of Lowry Grove. Many of the teenage children have taken jobs to <br />earn an income that will contribute to their family’s well being. That was me. I didn’t play sports or participate <br />in extra curricular activities like my own children do now. I had to work. I had to help support my family. <br />My daughter is a fifth grader at Wilshire Park Elementary. The fifth grade students mentor the kindergarten <br />students in a ‘buddy’ system. My daughter is socially conscious and well aware of the privilege she lives inside <br />of. A couple of weeks ago when I picked her up from school, the first thing she said was: “My kindergarten <br />buddy lives in Lowry Grove and he and his family are going to be homeless if they cannot stay in their home. <br />What can you do about this?” Out of the mouths of babes. <br />The residents of Lowry Grove need due process in court before further decisions are made about their futures. I <br />urge you to dig deep into your own humanity and see this as a human rights issue. <br />1 <br /> <br />