Housing
There’s been no more vocal advocate for affordable, accessible housing for everyone than Kim. Thanks to her leadership Salem instituted a policy of requiring developers to include affordable units in every new building, though a minority of the City Council blocked making that policy a law. She’s pursued affordable accessory dwelling units, a measure endorsed by the AARP as an important step in keeping a community age-friendly, and has led the City’s Affordable Housing Trust as it studies opportunities to create new affordable housing in Salem, including housing for teachers, seniors, veterans, and working families. And Kim proposed and successfully saw through an ordinance change that enables vacant old church school buildings to be reused as 100% affordable housing.
As a member of the Salem Housing Authority board, Kim has fought for improving the authority’s responsiveness to tenants, maintenance and care of its properties, and examining ways it can expand the availability of subsidized housing options for Salem seniors and its neediest residents.
Kim has worked with local partners, such as the North Shore CDC, Lifebridge, Harborlight Community Partners, and the Preservation of Affordable Housing to identify and support projects that increase non-profit affordable housing growth, as well. She founded the Collaborative for Hope, an ongoing multi-stakeholder partnership working to address homelessness in Salem through a “housing first” approach.
At the heart of this advocacy is Kim’s strong belief that Salem is for everyone, no matter how long they’ve lived here, how much they earn, whether they own or rent their home, or what their age or ability may be.