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Ridgeview resident urges consistent advocacy on housing and school decisions
Summary
At the May 5 meeting, resident Kesha Collins asked the council to apply the same level of advocacy used in a school-merger debate to housing decisions, saying removal of Section 8 units in Reed View undermines equity and called for transparency from council members and city staff.
Kesha Collins of 815 Third Street Court SW spoke during the public-comment period at the May 5 Hickory City Council meeting for three minutes on behalf of the Ridgeview community, urging greater consistency from elected leaders on matters of equity.
“I find it deeply concerning that there has been visible advocacy against the proposed school merger, particularly from first voices like Councilman Freeman and Reverend Roberts claiming to stand in support of the black community. Yet those same efforts have not been consistently applied when it comes to protecting that same community in other critical areas,” Collins said, citing the decision to remove Section 8 housing opportunities within Reed View.
Collins told the council that for many families Section 8 is more than assistance — it is stability and access to opportunity — and she asked the council to show “transparency, urgency, [and] corrective action” when affordable-housing programs experience shortcomings. The council did not record a direct response or follow-up action in the meeting minutes; Mayor Hank Guest thanked Collins for speaking.
The council’s public-comment rules (stated on the record) limit remarks to three minutes and do not permit questions during the comment period. No public hearing or formal action on Reed View housing appeared on the meeting agenda.
